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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and social skills indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

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

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“Eve selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but earlier stated: “The whales … receive far higher quality medical attention and around the clock care than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in recent months following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected details of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She supports calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s government official turned down a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing approve an relocation that would continue the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements indicate a wider incorrect perception of the realities of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for Inuit communities.

A proposed refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The planned site, which includes a large area of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable answer for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the site will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|