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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to end their lives unless the authorities covers the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart mammals – something a former trainer learned personally.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a role that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“Eve accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I perceive bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a context of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the park links to expected lifespan, but which advocates say points to the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far superior health care and 24/7 care than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in early March following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected details of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense manpower”, trucks and machinery.

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

She supports calls for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s government official denied a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a continued life in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reflect a wider misunderstanding of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The future site, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term resolution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the idea of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a workable solution in the near future.

The project lead, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will mimic the mental engagement and nutrition the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|