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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated discussion over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are held warned to put them down unless the federal government funds the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart animals – something Kristy Burgess observed personally.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that required building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a special affection for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“Eve chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far superior health care and 24/7 supervision than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in early March following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected particulars of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s government official denied a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks indicate a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The future site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|