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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are housed warned to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are highly cognitive creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned personally.

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

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with different natures.

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

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility links to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand effects of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected information of the death were leaked to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “significant staff”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s government official denied a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a continued situation in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that whales belong in the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reflect a more general misunderstanding of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a answer, ideas have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven contentious. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

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

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the near future.

An official, director of the initiative, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|