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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a closed attraction, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the cost of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker learned personally.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their characters. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with different natures.

“One whale accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “They transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far better medical attention and constant care than any person in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in recent months following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought information of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense manpower”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

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

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

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing approve an transfer that would prolong the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reveal a wider misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions 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 ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a answer, proposals have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The planned facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat represents a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a viable approach in the near future.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will mimic the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|