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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their destiny often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are kept warned to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the cost of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something a former trainer observed personally.

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

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the nuances and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing temperaments.

“Eve selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a context of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far better health care and around the clock care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in early March following the demise of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility suspected details of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to euthanize even a single beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

“It cannot happen in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

She supports demands for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an export that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a broader lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a resolution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a important part of nourishment for local populations.

A planned refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has been most controversial. The future facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a permanent solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a viable approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|