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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to end their lives unless the authorities funds the cost of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a job that required gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say points to the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but previously stated: “The whales … obtain far superior veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the park in the spring following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park believed information of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s government official rejected a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an export that would prolong the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reveal a wider misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The planned location, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could in time represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge reflects a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the near future.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|