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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the federal government funds the expense of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something a former trainer learned directly.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She developed a particular love for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

“One whale chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each transformed the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a background of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors 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 in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far superior medical attention and 24/7 care than any individual in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in recent months following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park thought details of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official denied a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the sea, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks reflect a broader misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has been highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

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

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|