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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to end their lives unless the federal government pays for the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are remarkably smart mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting natures.

“Eve selected me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and 24/7 care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in early March following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility thought information of the death were shared to the media and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

“It’s impossible in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

She advocates for requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official denied a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a continued situation in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments indicate a broader misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has proven contentious. The planned location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Proponents remain positive that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the location will mimic the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|