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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government pays for the cost of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the subtleties and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting personalities.

“One whale accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “They altered the way I perceive connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a background of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park links to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far superior health care and around the clock care than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in recent months following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought details of the death were shared to the press and she was fired not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any efforts to put down even a single beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and machinery.

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

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

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

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience authorize an export that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reveal a broader misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers attempt to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has been contentious. The future location, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

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

Others say the possibility of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|