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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense discussion 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 people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to end their lives unless the federal government pays for the cost of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something one caretaker learned personally.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that entailed gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so astounded by the subtleties and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“Eve selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They altered the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far superior health care and constant care than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in recent months following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park believed information of the incident were leaked to the press and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s government official denied a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual life in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience authorize an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks indicate a more general misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas born in captivity.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The future location, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ future.

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will mimic the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|