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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the authorities covers the upkeep of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something a former trainer observed directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a job that involved gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with opposing personalities.

“Eve selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a context of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park links to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but previously stated: “The whales … get far superior health care and around the clock supervision than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in recent months following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park thought details of the death were disclosed to the media and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to put down even a single beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official rejected a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas should be in the sea, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an transfer that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements indicate a wider lack of awareness of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has shown to be highly debated. The prospective site, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|