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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the people who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities blocked the export of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive creatures – something a former trainer discovered directly.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In 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 nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and unique traits in their characters. She cultivated a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“One whale selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They changed the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the park links to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences 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 navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and constant care than any human in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park believed details of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reflect a wider lack of awareness of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has proven most controversial. The planned location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary reflects a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a viable approach in the coming months.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|