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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities funds the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

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

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

“One whale chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They altered the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park links to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far better veterinary services and constant attention than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in early March following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected details of the death were disclosed to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be transferred right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a bid to send the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reveal a more general incorrect perception of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The future location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

The project lead, leader of the initiative, said the facility will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|