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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their destiny often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are housed warned to euthanize them unless the government covers the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker learned directly.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that entailed building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the subtleties and unique traits in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with different personalities.

“Eve selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both altered the way I perceive bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park links to age-related causes, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far better medical attention and constant supervision than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in recent months following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed information of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “immense manpower”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

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

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience permit an relocation that would prolong the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reveal a wider incorrect perception of the facts of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has proven most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the prospect of a sanctuary reflects a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|