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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their destiny often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the authorities covers the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that involved gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing 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. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

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

“One whale chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each transformed the way I perceive connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say points to the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but earlier asserted: “The whales … get far better health care and constant attention than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in early March following the demise of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility thought information of the death were leaked to the press and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official rejected a bid to export the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a continued existence in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reflect a wider misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a long term resolution for eight of the whales.

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

Different voices say the idea of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the facility will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|