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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the federal government covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions point to they are deeply intelligent animals – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a position that entailed building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park links to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but previously stated: “The whales … get far higher quality health care and constant attention than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in early March following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park believed information of the incident were leaked to the media and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to export the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual situation in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals are meant for the sea, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reflect a wider lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a answer, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has shown to be highly debated. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the possibility of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|