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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the federal government funds the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker observed directly.

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a role that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In 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 very smart, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the details and quirks in their characters. She developed a particular love for a pair of whales with different natures.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each altered the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and 24/7 attention than any human in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in the spring following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility suspected information of the death were leaked to the media and she was let go not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and machinery.

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

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

In recent months, the nation’s government official rejected a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a continued life in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that whales belong in the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reveal a more general lack of awareness of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a answer, proposals have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable solution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable solution in the coming months.

An official, head of the plan, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|