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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute little “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated controversy over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the government pays for the expense of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something a former trainer learned first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that entailed building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the details and unique traits in their characters. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each transformed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far better veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in early March following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected details of the incident were shared to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to export the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a continued existence in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reveal a wider incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a resolution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The prospective facility, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

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

Different voices say the idea of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

The project lead, leader of the initiative, said the facility will mimic the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|