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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the intense debate over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess observed personally.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a job that involved earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a context of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … get far higher quality veterinary services and 24/7 supervision than any person in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in early March following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park thought details of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was fired not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant personnel”, equipment and machinery.

“It cannot happen in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s government official turned down a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reveal a more general lack of awareness of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public 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. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed 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 future location, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the idea of a protected habitat represents a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, head of the plan, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|