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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to put them down unless the authorities covers the expense of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer discovered personally.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a role that required building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and constant care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in recent months following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park suspected information of the incident were leaked to the media and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to export the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks indicate a wider lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

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

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the coming months.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will mimic the cognitive activities and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|