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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated debate over their fate often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to end their lives unless the government covers the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

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

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She formed a particular love for two female belugas with different natures.

“One whale selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I perceive connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a background of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say points to the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and constant attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in early March following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility believed details of the incident were shared to the press and she was let go not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

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

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a continued life in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reflect a more general misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas born in captivity.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A planned protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The future location, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent solution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the idea of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable approach in the short term.

The project lead, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|