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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their future often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker discovered personally.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing temperaments.

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

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far superior health care and constant care than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in recent months following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility suspected details of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing approve an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks indicate a more general incorrect perception of the facts of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a resolution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has shown to be highly debated. The future site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

An official, leader of the plan, said the site will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|