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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their destiny often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the government funds the upkeep of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and social skills point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

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

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

“One whale chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both altered the way I perceive bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far superior health care and around the clock care than any person in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park thought information of the death were shared to the media and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and heavy equipment.

“There’s no way in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

She supports requests for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

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

“To approve the proposal would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reveal a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of life for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be most controversial. The future location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a sanctuary reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the near future.

An official, head of the plan, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|