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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the federal government covers the cost of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that required earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with opposing natures.

“Eve chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and 24/7 attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in early March following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought information of the death were shared to the media and she was let go not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and machinery.

“It cannot happen in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

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

“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual life in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that whales belong in the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing authorize an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a wider incorrect perception of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a viable approach in the short term.

The project lead, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|