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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

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

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to end their lives unless the authorities funds the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess observed personally.

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a position that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far superior veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in early March following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park believed information of the death were leaked to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a more general incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for Inuit communities.

A planned protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could in time represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary reflects a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|