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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people 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 housed threatened to put them down unless the government funds the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something one caretaker learned directly.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and quirks in their personalities. She formed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting personalities.

“One whale chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both changed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say points to the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far superior medical attention and around the clock supervision than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the park in early March following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park suspected particulars of the death were disclosed to the press and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any efforts to put down even a single beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

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

“Granting the proposal would have meant a continued life in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience authorize an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reflect a more general lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity 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 easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The future site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a workable solution in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the plan, said the location will simulate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|