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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated controversy over their destiny often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to put them down unless the authorities pays for the expense of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess discovered personally.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so astounded by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with different natures.

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

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a context of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but previously claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and around the clock attention than any individual in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in the spring following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park suspected details of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a one beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official rejected a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would prolong the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reveal a broader misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a solution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received government approval, has proven most controversial. The planned location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain optimistic that it could in time represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the near future.

The project lead, leader of the initiative, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|