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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent creatures – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a position that entailed building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a special affection for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“Eve selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and constant supervision than any person in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in early March following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park believed information of the incident were leaked 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 anguish. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official turned down a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that whales belong in the sea, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reveal a broader incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt 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 nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has proven contentious. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the prospect of a refuge represents a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the site will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|