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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a defunct facility, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their fate often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the cost of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent animals – something one caretaker observed personally.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She formed a special affection for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They changed the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far better medical attention and constant care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility believed details of the incident were leaked to the media and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “significant personnel”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s government official rejected a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments indicate a broader misunderstanding of the circumstances of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has shown to be highly debated. The planned facility, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the prospect of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the near future.

An official, head of the initiative, said the site will simulate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|