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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their future 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 federal government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker learned personally.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that entailed gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity 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 trusting with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They transformed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand effects of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far superior veterinary services and 24/7 supervision than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility thought information of the incident were shared to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any efforts to put down even a one beluga would require “immense manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She supports calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As society, we know that whales are meant for the sea, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reflect a broader incorrect perception of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for Inuit communities.

A suggested refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain hopeful that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for a number of the whales.

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

Others say the idea of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|