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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are deeply intelligent creatures – something a former trainer discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a position that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators.

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

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and unique traits in their characters. She cultivated a special affection for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

“One whale chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far superior medical attention and constant attention than any individual in the UK, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in early March following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park believed particulars of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s warning to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual life in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reflect a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a resolution, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The planned location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the idea of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the location will mimic the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|