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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their destiny often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government funds the expense of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess discovered directly.

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

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the subtleties and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a special affection for a pair of whales with different natures.

“Eve selected me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and constant supervision than any person in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in recent months following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park suspected details of the incident were shared to the press and she was released soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

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

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reflect a more general incorrect perception of the facts of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has been contentious. The planned location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ future.

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the site will simulate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|