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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute little “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are housed warned to euthanize them unless the government covers the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart mammals – something Kristy Burgess observed personally.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She formed a special affection for two female belugas with contrasting personalities.

“One whale chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both transformed the way I perceive bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a background of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far superior veterinary services and constant attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility thought information of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and machinery.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s government official turned down a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would prolong the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence 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 ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Others say the idea of a protected habitat represents a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|