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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their destiny often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities 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 authorities covers the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are deeply intelligent creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a position that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the subtleties and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“Eve chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They changed the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their captivity.

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

The facility did not open to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but previously claimed: “The whales … receive far superior medical attention and constant care than any person in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility believed details of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in despair. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

“It’s impossible in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

She supports requests for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s government official rejected a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a ongoing situation in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an transfer that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a broader incorrect perception of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of food for local populations.

A suggested refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven contentious. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

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

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|