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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the federal government covers the upkeep of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and social skills indicate they are highly cognitive creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered personally.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She developed a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale selected me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far better veterinary services and 24/7 attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park thought information of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

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

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience approve an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements indicate a wider misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a answer, suggestions have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The future site, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge reflects a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the near future.

The project lead, leader of the initiative, said the site will mimic the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|