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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to put them down unless the authorities covers the upkeep of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a job that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

“One whale selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park links to age-related causes, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and constant attention than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the park in early March following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility suspected details of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s government official rejected a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing permit an transfer that would prolong the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reveal a broader incorrect perception 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 ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A proposed protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has proven highly debated. The planned facility, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary reflects a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the short term.

The project lead, head of the plan, said the site will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|