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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to put them down unless the federal government funds the cost of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker learned directly.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that required gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication 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 vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She cultivated a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting natures.

“One whale chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They changed the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales developed against a context of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but previously claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality health care and constant care than any person in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park thought details of the incident were leaked to the media and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, trucks and machinery.

“There’s no way in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reveal a wider misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the possibility of a refuge represents a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable approach in the near future.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|