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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are held threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker learned personally.

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a role that involved gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Developing 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 reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

“One whale selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales developed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far better health care and 24/7 care than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the demise of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected details of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a one beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s government official denied a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a continued situation in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reveal a broader lack of awareness of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the prospect of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable approach in the short term.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|