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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to end their lives unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent creatures – something a former trainer learned first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that required gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each altered the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility links to age-related causes, but which advocates say indicates the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious 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 inquiry, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and constant supervision than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in the spring following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected details of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She supports calls for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a request to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that whales are meant for the sea, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience permit an export that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments indicate a broader lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a answer, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been highly debated. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term resolution for some of the whales.

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

Others say the idea of a sanctuary reflects a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the initiative, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|