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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities funds the expense of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker observed directly.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that entailed gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“One whale chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales developed against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say points to the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but previously stated: “The whales … obtain far better health care and constant care than any human in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in recent months following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected details of the death were leaked to the media and she was fired not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

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

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that whales belong in the sea, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience authorize an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reflect a wider misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The prospective facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable answer for some of the whales.

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

Some experts say the possibility of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|