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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are highly cognitive creatures – something a former trainer learned first-hand.

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

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She formed a deep bond for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both altered the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her time at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the park links to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and constant supervision than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park thought information of the death were leaked to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any plans to put down even a single beluga would require “considerable manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a continued existence in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the sea, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience approve an transfer that would prolong the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements indicate a wider incorrect perception of the realities of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A planned sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The planned site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the idea of a protected habitat indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|