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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are housed warned to end their lives unless the government covers the cost of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

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

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the nuances and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with different natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any individual in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility thought information of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “significant personnel”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a continued life in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reflect a wider incorrect perception of the realities of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the near future.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|