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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their destiny often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a position that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the nuances and unique traits in their characters. She formed a special affection for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They altered the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier asserted: “The whales … get far higher quality veterinary services and 24/7 attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park suspected information of the incident were shared to the press and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s government official denied a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a continued life in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a more general incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many 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 solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has proven most controversial. The planned location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the location will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|