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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a tussle between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense debate over their fate often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to end their lives unless the government covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart creatures – something one caretaker learned personally.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that involved gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She formed a special affection for two female belugas with opposing personalities.

“Eve selected me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … get far better medical attention and around the clock attention than any individual in the UK, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in recent months following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility suspected information of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s government official denied a bid to export the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing life in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience authorize an export that would prolong the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements indicate a broader incorrect perception of the facts of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The future site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could in time represent a permanent solution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the prospect of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the initiative, said the site will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|