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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated debate over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities prevented the export of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the government funds the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

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

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the outset, 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 wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting personalities.

“Eve selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but previously stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality medical attention and 24/7 attention than any person in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in recent months following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility believed information of the death were disclosed to the press and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to send the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual life in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister stated. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reflect a wider misunderstanding of the circumstances of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities attempt to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, 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 Inuit communities.

A planned sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess 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 idea of a sanctuary represents a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

An official, leader of the plan, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|