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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are housed warned to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the expense of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker observed directly.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so surprised by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with different natures.

“One whale chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales evolved against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier stated: “The whales … receive far superior health care and 24/7 care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in recent months following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility thought details of the death were disclosed to the press and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

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

“Granting the application would have meant a continued existence in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would continue the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks indicate a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp 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 realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a solution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has shown to be highly debated. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term answer for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable solution in the near future.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the facility will replicate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|