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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent creatures – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a position that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She developed a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

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

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a background of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far better medical attention and around the clock care than any person in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park thought details of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

“There’s no way in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

She supports calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

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

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a continued existence in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reveal a wider incorrect perception of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The prospective location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

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

Others say the possibility of a refuge represents a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|