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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the heated debate over their fate often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to put them down unless the federal government covers the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent creatures – something a former trainer learned personally.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a job that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

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

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting personalities.

“One whale accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

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

The facility did not operate to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far better health care and 24/7 care than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in early March following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park suspected details of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual situation in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments indicate a broader misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has proven highly debated. The future site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the possibility of a refuge represents a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

The project lead, head of the initiative, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|