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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their destiny often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the authorities pays for the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting natures.

“One whale selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both transformed the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales developed against a context of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say points to the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but previously asserted: “The whales … obtain far superior veterinary services and 24/7 supervision than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park thought details of the death were shared to the media and she was released shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any plans to put down even a single beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reflect a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a answer, suggestions have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The planned location, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the idea of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|