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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are held warned to put them down unless the authorities covers the cost of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a job that required gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but earlier asserted: “The whales … get far better medical attention and constant attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility believed information of the incident were leaked to the media and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

“There’s no way in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

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

In the autumn, Canada’s government official rejected a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a ongoing life in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements indicate a more general misunderstanding of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers attempt to find a resolution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has proven contentious. The future facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess 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 prospect of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a workable solution in the short term.

An official, leader of the plan, said the facility will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales get 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|