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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those closest to 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 thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government covers the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a job that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very unsure 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 subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a special affection for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

“Eve chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both altered the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality medical attention and around the clock attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in recent months following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility suspected particulars of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a perpetual situation in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing approve an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reflect a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of life for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for Inuit communities.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term answer for eight of the whales.

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

Some experts say the idea of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the near future.

An official, leader of the plan, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|