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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the intense discussion over their future often fails to consider the individual traits 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 national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and social skills point to they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and quirks in their characters. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different temperaments.

“Eve selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each altered the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a context of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the facility links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools 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 distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and around the clock attention than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility suspected particulars of the death were leaked to the press and she was released soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment and machinery.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s government official rejected a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reveal a more general incorrect perception of the realities of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a resolution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has been highly debated. The planned location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent solution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable solution in the coming months.

An official, head of the plan, said the location will simulate the cognitive activities 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|