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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the cost of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart animals – something a former trainer discovered personally.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a job that required earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the subtleties and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with different natures.

“Eve accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but previously claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and 24/7 attention than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in early March following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park suspected details of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s warning to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and machinery.

“It’s impossible in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that whales belong in the sea, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments indicate a broader misunderstanding of the facts of life for belugas born in captivity.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a important part of nourishment for local populations.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has been highly debated. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable answer for a number of the whales.

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

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the location will mimic the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|