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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to put them down unless the government funds the expense of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions point to they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker learned personally.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the beginning, 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 nonetheless amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“Eve selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales evolved against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say points to the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and around the clock care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in recent months following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park suspected details of the incident were shared to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s government official denied a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a continued life in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that belugas should be in the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks reflect a broader lack of awareness of the circumstances of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has shown to be highly debated. The planned site, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the possibility of a sanctuary reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable solution in the short term.

The project lead, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|