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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense discussion over their fate often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the government pays for the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart animals – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that entailed earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

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

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and around the clock attention than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in early March following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were shared to the press and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

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

“Granting the request would have meant a ongoing life in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reveal a broader misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has been contentious. The planned facility, which includes a large area of protected cove, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the initiative, said the facility will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|