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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a defunct facility, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their destiny often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are kept warned to put them down unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered directly.

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

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the details and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a particular love for a pair of whales with different natures.

“One whale chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far superior medical attention and 24/7 attention than any person in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in the spring following the demise of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected information of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s government official turned down a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reveal a broader lack of awareness of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has been highly debated. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

The project lead, leader of the plan, said the facility will replicate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|