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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to end their lives unless the government funds the expense of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

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

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She formed a special affection for two female belugas with opposing natures.

“Eve selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each altered the way I perceive bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … obtain far superior medical attention and constant attention than any human in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in recent months following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility believed details of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official rejected a request to send the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a continued life in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing approve an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments indicate a broader lack of awareness of the facts of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has been highly debated. The planned site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|