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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense debate over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess discovered personally.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that involved earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a special affection for a pair of whales with contrasting personalities.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a background of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her time at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and 24/7 care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected particulars of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment and machinery.

“It cannot happen in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s government official turned down a bid to send the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a wider lack of awareness of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a answer, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has been highly debated. The prospective location, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the idea of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|