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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent animals – something one caretaker observed personally.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a job that entailed building relationships of the marine predators.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They changed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say points to the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the cessation. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and 24/7 care than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park believed particulars of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s government official rejected a proposal to send the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued situation in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements indicate a wider incorrect perception of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a solution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The planned location, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ future.

Others say the idea of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable solution in the short term.

An official, head of the initiative, said the site will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|