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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent creatures – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that entailed earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She formed a deep bond for two female belugas with opposing personalities.

“Eve selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both altered the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but previously claimed: “The whales … obtain far higher quality medical attention and 24/7 supervision than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park believed details of the death were disclosed to the media and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing permit an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reflect a wider lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The future facility, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain positive that it could ultimately represent a sustainable answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the idea of a refuge indicates a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable approach in the coming months.

The project lead, head of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|