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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense debate over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the national authorities disallowed the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the government pays for the upkeep of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that entailed building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She formed a deep bond for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both changed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility links to age-related causes, but which advocates say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far superior veterinary services and 24/7 supervision than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought particulars of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to put down even a one beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

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

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a bid to export the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would prolong the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reveal a wider lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been highly debated. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the plan, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|