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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” 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, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their destiny often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government funds the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions point to they are deeply intelligent creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and unique traits in their characters. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

“Eve chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far superior veterinary services and around the clock care than any person in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in early March following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park believed information of the death were shared to the media and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

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

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a broader incorrect perception of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has proven contentious. The planned location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the possibility of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|