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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess discovered directly.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“One whale chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far better medical attention and constant attention than any person in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in early March following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought information of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “considerable manpower”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to export the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing life in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing approve an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reflect a broader incorrect perception of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a answer, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The future location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the possibility of a refuge reflects a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable plan in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the initiative, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|