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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the government covers the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess discovered directly.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a position that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so amazed by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales developed against a context of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her time at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far superior health care and 24/7 attention than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility believed information of the incident were shared to the media and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an export that would prolong the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reflect a wider incorrect perception of the realities of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain optimistic that it could in time represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

An official, head of the initiative, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|