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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their destiny often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the government pays for the cost of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent creatures – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She developed a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales developed against a context of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and around the clock supervision than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility 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 death were disclosed to the press and she was released soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to put down even a single beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a continued life in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks indicate a wider incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A planned refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has been contentious. The planned location, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the idea of a refuge represents a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|