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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense debate over their fate often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities disallowed the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to put them down unless the government funds the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions point to they are deeply intelligent creatures – something a former trainer discovered personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a job that entailed earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the details and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“One whale selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They changed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

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

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed particulars of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s government official turned down a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reveal a broader incorrect perception of the realities of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The planned facility, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term solution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the site will replicate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|