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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to put them down unless the authorities funds the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

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

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the nuances and quirks in their personalities. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with different natures.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They altered the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales progressed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the park links to expected lifespan, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and constant attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected details of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments indicate a wider misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has proven highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the idea of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

An official, head of the initiative, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|