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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to put them down unless the government funds the expense of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and social skills point to they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a position that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and quirks in their characters. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each altered the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility links to age-related causes, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but previously claimed: “The whales … obtain far better health care and around the clock attention than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in early March following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility suspected information of the death were leaked to the media and she was fired not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s warning to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any efforts to put down even a one beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s government official turned down a bid to export the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reveal a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has proven highly debated. The planned site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a long term solution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the idea of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|