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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities funds the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer observed personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a job that required earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and quirks in their personalities. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with different personalities.

“One whale selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences 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 take pieces and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and 24/7 care than any person in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in early March following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility suspected details of the incident were leaked to the media and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a request to send the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As society, we know that whales are meant for the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments indicate a more general incorrect perception of the realities of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a resolution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for local populations.

A proposed refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The future facility, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent solution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the prospect of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a viable approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|