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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a defunct facility, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to put them down unless the government pays for the expense of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive creatures – something a former trainer learned personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a deep bond for two female belugas with different natures.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each altered the way I perceive connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a background of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility links to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but previously claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality health care and around the clock care than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park believed particulars of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was fired soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

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

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that whales are meant for the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience approve an export that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a wider misunderstanding of the circumstances of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a answer, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A proposed protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The future site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

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

Others say the prospect of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a workable approach in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|