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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the government pays for the cost of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills indicate they are remarkably smart mammals – something Kristy Burgess discovered personally.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing temperaments.

“One whale chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They altered the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility links to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality medical attention and constant supervision than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park believed particulars of the death were disclosed to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to send the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As society, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reveal a broader lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a solution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of food for Inuit communities.

A suggested protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The planned site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a permanent solution for some of the whales.

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

Others say the idea of a refuge 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 plan, said the location will mimic the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|