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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are kept warned to put them down unless the government pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and social skills point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that entailed earning the trust 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 wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a particular love for two female belugas with opposing natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park links to age-related causes, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but previously claimed: “The whales … receive far higher quality medical attention and around the clock supervision than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the park in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park suspected information of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, vehicles and machinery.

“It cannot happen in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s government official turned down a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a broader misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a answer, ideas have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A planned sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent solution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the possibility of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the near future.

The project lead, leader of the initiative, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|