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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker learned directly.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing natures.

“One whale accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which advocates say points to the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but previously stated: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and 24/7 care than any human in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in recent months following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park thought details of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a one beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

“It’s impossible in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

She supports requests for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a continued life in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that whales belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reveal a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The planned site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

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

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the near future.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|