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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their future often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to end their lives unless the federal government covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer observed personally.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that entailed earning the trust 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 unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with contrasting personalities.

“Eve chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

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

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but previously stated: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and around the clock care than any human in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park suspected details of the incident were shared to the media and she was fired soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

“It’s impossible in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

She advocates for requests for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a request to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing situation in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As society, we know that whales belong in the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reflect a broader lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a resolution, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The planned site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

An official, leader of the plan, said the location will simulate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|