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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their future often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the government covers the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

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

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a particular love for two female belugas with opposing personalities.

“Eve chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I perceive bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales evolved against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and around the clock attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected information of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s warning to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s government official turned down a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an transfer that would prolong the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reflect a more general lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a solution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A planned sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ future.

Others say the possibility of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|