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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their destiny often ignores the nuances 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 export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government funds the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker observed directly.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a role that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so astounded by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with different personalities.

“One whale selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both transformed the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a background of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which advocates say reflects the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and around the clock attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were shared to the media and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an export that would continue the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements indicate a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of life for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a resolution, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The planned site, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent solution for a number of the whales.

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

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|