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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities funds the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart mammals – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a role that involved earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a particular love for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures 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 heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and 24/7 attention than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in early March following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility believed details of the incident were leaked to the media and she was fired soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and machinery.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that whales should be in the ocean, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks indicate a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The prospective location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable answer for a number of the whales.

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

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge indicates a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

An official, head of the initiative, said the facility will mimic the mental engagement and nutrition the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|