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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated debate over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the government funds the cost of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive creatures – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a position that entailed gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“Eve chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior veterinary services and around the clock attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the park in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park believed information of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official rejected a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reveal a broader lack of awareness of the circumstances of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a resolution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective site, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a long term resolution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Others say the idea of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the plan, said the location will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|