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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, 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 Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the cost of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned personally.

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

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both changed the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility links to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far better health care and around the clock attention than any individual in the UK, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park suspected information of the incident were leaked to the press and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reflect a wider misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a important part of sustenance for local populations.

A planned protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The future location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a feasible plan in the short term.

The project lead, leader of the plan, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|