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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the government funds the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something one caretaker learned personally.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that involved earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing temperaments.

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

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a background of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality veterinary services and around the clock attention than any person in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in early March following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park believed information of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment 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 failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s government official turned down a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing permit an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reflect a more general incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The future site, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the idea of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the plan, said the location will simulate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get 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|