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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the intense debate over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to end their lives unless the federal government funds the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something Kristy Burgess discovered directly.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that required gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She formed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting personalities.

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

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales evolved against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far higher quality health care and constant care than any person in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in early March following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected information of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a request to export the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As Canadians, we know that belugas are meant for the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a broader lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a solution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has been contentious. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent solution for eight of the whales.

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

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

The project lead, director of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|