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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to put them down unless the authorities pays for the cost of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that required building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She cultivated a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting personalities.

“One whale accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility ascribes 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 recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and around the clock supervision than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in early March following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park thought details of the death were shared to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

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

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing life in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks indicate a wider incorrect perception of the circumstances of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has been highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

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

Some experts say the idea of a protected habitat represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

The project lead, leader of the plan, said the location will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|