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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the intense discussion over their destiny often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker observed directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a position that entailed gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

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

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a context of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and constant care than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park suspected particulars of the death were shared to the press and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s government official turned down a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements indicate a more general misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a answer, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The planned site, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

The project lead, director of the initiative, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|