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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the government covers the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that required building relationships of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and unique traits in their characters. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“One whale chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each altered the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far better veterinary services and constant supervision than any person in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in recent months following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park believed details of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s government official rejected a request to send the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reveal a wider incorrect perception of the circumstances of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent solution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, director of the plan, said the site will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|