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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the intense discussion over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are kept warned to put them down unless the government covers the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

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

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with contrasting personalities.

“One whale selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “They transformed the way I perceive connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a context of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … get far superior health care and constant care than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in early March following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park suspected particulars of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any plans to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and specialized tools.

“There’s no way in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

She supports calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would prolong the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements indicate a more general lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has proven most controversial. The planned location, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the possibility of a protected habitat represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|