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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are held threatened to put them down unless the authorities covers the expense of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker observed directly.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that involved building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She developed a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with different temperaments.

“One whale selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

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

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in the spring following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility thought information of the death were disclosed to the press and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

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

“To approve the request would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would prolong the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements indicate a more general incorrect perception of the circumstances of life for belugas born in captivity.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The prospective facility, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable plan in the short term.

The project lead, head of the initiative, said the site will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|