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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their destiny often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government covers the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

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

“One whale selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a background of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and 24/7 supervision than any person in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected information of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant manpower”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

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

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a request to export the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a continued situation in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks indicate a broader lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The prospective location, which includes a large area of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the possibility of a refuge reflects a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the site will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|