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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the government funds the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting personalities.

“Eve chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each transformed the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility links to age-related causes, but which advocates say points to the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and around the clock supervision than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in early March following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were leaked to the press and she was released soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “significant staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a request to send the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a continued life in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the ocean, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reflect a wider lack of awareness of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp 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 understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a solution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has proven contentious. The planned facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a long term resolution for some of the whales.

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

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|