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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” 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 defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their future often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to end their lives unless the government pays for the expense of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer learned personally.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that entailed building relationships of the marine predators.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and quirks in their characters. She formed a special affection for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

“Eve selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each altered the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales developed against a context of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say points to the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

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

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in recent months following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected details of the death were leaked to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and machinery.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be taken immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official rejected a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a continued life in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments indicate a wider lack of awareness of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The planned facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Supporters remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the possibility of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

The project lead, head of the plan, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|