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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a defunct facility, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their destiny often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are held threatened to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills point to they are deeply intelligent creatures – something one caretaker observed personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a job that required gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their characters. She developed a particular love for a pair of whales with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both changed the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales developed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and 24/7 care than any person in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in the spring following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park suspected information of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

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

“To approve the application would have meant a continued life in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that whales should be in the ocean, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements indicate a more general incorrect perception of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has been most controversial. The future site, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Supporters remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|