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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their fate often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to end their lives unless the government funds the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker discovered directly.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a position that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She formed a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing temperaments.

“One whale chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They transformed the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far better health care and constant care than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in the spring following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park suspected information of the incident were shared to the press and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s warning 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 personnel”, equipment and specialized tools.

“It’s impossible in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

She advocates for calls for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience approve an export that would continue the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements indicate a more general lack of awareness of the facts of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a answer, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A planned refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The planned facility, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the possibility of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will replicate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|