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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are housed warned to end their lives unless the authorities covers the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions point to they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that involved earning the trust of the marine predators.

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

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the subtleties and unique traits in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales developed against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far better health care and constant attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in early March following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought particulars of the incident were shared to the press and she was released shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

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

“To approve the application would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As society, we know that whales are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks indicate a more general lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement 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 straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a answer, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has proven contentious. The prospective location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the near future.

The project lead, head of the initiative, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|