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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities funds the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess discovered personally.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that entailed earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and quirks in their characters. She formed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting natures.

“One whale accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both changed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a background of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but previously stated: “The whales … get far better health care and 24/7 attention than any person 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 unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility believed details of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be transferred right away from the park, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to send the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As society, we know that whales belong in the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an export that would continue the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reveal a wider incorrect perception of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a important part of sustenance for local populations.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

The project lead, director of the initiative, said the location will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|