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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to end their lives unless the authorities funds the expense of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“Eve selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a context of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and around the clock attention than any person in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the demise of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility believed details of the death were disclosed to the media and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She supports calls for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official turned down a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a continued situation in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would continue the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks indicate a wider lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in captivity 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 ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a answer, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

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

Some experts say the idea of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the site will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|