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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities prevented the export of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and social skills indicate they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting personalities.

“One whale accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a background of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier claimed: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and around the clock supervision than any person in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park thought information of the incident were shared to the press and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience approve an transfer that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reveal a more general misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has shown to be most controversial. The planned location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will replicate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|