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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

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

After the national authorities prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to put them down unless the authorities pays for the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess observed personally.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing temperaments.

“Eve chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

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

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park links to expected lifespan, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far superior veterinary services and 24/7 attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in recent months following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park suspected particulars of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was fired soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “immense manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

“It cannot happen in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s government official rejected a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas should be in the wild, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reflect a broader incorrect perception of the realities of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has been most controversial. The future site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution 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 trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the sanctuary project, said the site will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|