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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming little “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the authorities funds the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart animals – something a former trainer learned first-hand.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that required earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with opposing personalities.

“One whale selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “They altered the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park links to expected lifespan, but which advocates say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far superior medical attention and constant supervision than any individual in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were leaked to the media and she was fired soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister stated. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an relocation that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reveal a broader misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has been highly debated. The future location, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a sustainable solution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the possibility of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|