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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to end their lives unless the government funds the expense of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker discovered personally.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a job that entailed gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“Eve selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park links to age-related causes, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … obtain far better health care and 24/7 attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in recent months following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park believed details of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s government official denied a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a continued situation in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that belugas are meant for the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing authorize an export that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reflect a more general lack of awareness of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity 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 straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has been contentious. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will mimic the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|