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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to end their lives unless the federal government funds the cost of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent creatures – something Kristy Burgess observed personally.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that required building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She formed a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“One whale chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a background of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the park links to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … get far higher quality veterinary services and around the clock attention than any individual in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in early March following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park believed particulars of the incident were shared to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any attempts to put down even a one beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

“There’s no way in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

She advocates for demands for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s government official rejected a proposal to send the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a continued situation in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister stated. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience permit an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements indicate a broader lack of awareness of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven contentious. The future site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain positive that it could in time represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Others say the possibility of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable solution in the near future.

The project lead, leader of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|