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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who work with them regularly.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to put them down unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that entailed building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a special affection for a pair of whales with different personalities.

“One whale selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each altered the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales developed against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which advocates say points to the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes 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 take pieces and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but previously stated: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and around the clock supervision than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park believed information of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an export that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reflect a broader misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a solution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has been highly debated. The planned location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, is not yet built. Supporters remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|