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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

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

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their future often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess discovered directly.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that required gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting personalities.

“Eve accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I perceive bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say points to the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “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 move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but previously claimed: “The whales … get far superior veterinary services and around the clock attention than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed information of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s government official turned down a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reflect a wider lack of awareness of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of sustenance for local populations.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has shown to be highly debated. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent solution for some of the whales.

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

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat represents a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the initiative, said the site will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|