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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated controversy over their future often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker learned directly.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that involved building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say indicates the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far higher quality medical attention and constant care than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the park in recent months following the demise of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility thought details of the death were leaked to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s government official turned down a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual life in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience approve an export that would prolong the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements indicate a wider lack of awareness of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The future location, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible solution in the coming months.

An official, director of the plan, said the site will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|