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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated discussion over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the cost of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something a former trainer discovered first-hand.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that entailed building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a particular love for two female belugas with different natures.

“One whale selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each transformed the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and 24/7 supervision than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in recent months following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park suspected details of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s government official rejected a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience approve an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reveal a more general incorrect perception of the realities of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has been highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for some of the whales.

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

Different voices say the idea of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable solution in the near future.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|