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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a shuttered park, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart animals – something Kristy Burgess observed personally.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a job that entailed building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

“One whale chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and constant attention than any human in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired 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 information of the death were shared to the media and she was fired soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s government official rejected a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a continued situation in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience approve an transfer that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements indicate a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a solution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A planned refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could in time represent a sustainable answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, head of the plan, said the facility will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|