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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer learned personally.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with different natures.

“One whale accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both changed the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which advocates say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far higher quality medical attention and around the clock attention than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought information of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official rejected a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a continued life in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements indicate a wider misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective site, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a permanent solution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the possibility of a protected habitat represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

An official, director of the initiative, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|