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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to euthanize them unless the government pays for the cost of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a role that involved earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“One whale selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They transformed the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility links to age-related causes, but which advocates say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and 24/7 supervision than any individual in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility believed information of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s government official rejected a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the sea, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reveal a broader incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance 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 officials struggle to find a answer, ideas have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A planned sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has shown to be highly debated. The future location, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the possibility of a protected habitat represents a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|