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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the government covers the cost of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for two female belugas with different natures.

“One whale selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and 24/7 attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in early March following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park believed particulars of the death were shared to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments indicate a broader incorrect perception of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable approach in the near future.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|