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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to euthanize them unless the government funds the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She cultivated a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a background of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and constant care than any person in the UK, or other places.”

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 euthanize. She said the facility thought information of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s government official denied a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a continued existence in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks reveal a broader incorrect perception of the realities of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many 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 resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for local populations.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The planned facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat represents a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the site will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|