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

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government covers the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills point to they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess discovered personally.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that required building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In 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 exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

“One whale accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They changed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but previously stated: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and around the clock attention than any human in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park believed information of the incident were leaked to the press and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s government official denied a request to export the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks indicate a broader lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has proven most controversial. The planned location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

The project lead, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|