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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense discussion over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the government funds the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something one caretaker discovered directly.

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

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the details and unique traits in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“One whale chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which activists say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far higher quality medical attention and 24/7 care than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected details of the incident were leaked to the media and she was fired not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

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

“To approve the application would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reflect a more general misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a solution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has been most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the idea of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

The project lead, head of the plan, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|