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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the authorities funds the cost of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a position that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a deep bond for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They changed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales evolved against a background of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the park links to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … get far superior medical attention and around the clock supervision than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in recent months following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park thought particulars of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to put down even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s government official rejected a bid to send the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the sea, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments indicate a more general incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. 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 Inuit communities.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The planned site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the possibility of a refuge indicates a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a workable approach in the near future.

The project lead, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|