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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the authorities covers 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

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer discovered personally.

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

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

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and quirks in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with different natures.

“Eve accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and 24/7 supervision than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility believed particulars of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to put down even a single beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In late September, Canada’s government official rejected a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing permit an transfer that would prolong the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements indicate a broader misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“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 understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a answer, ideas have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has been highly debated. The future site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term solution for a number 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’ well-being.

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, leader of the plan, said the facility will replicate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|