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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the expense of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and social skills point to they are deeply intelligent creatures – something a former trainer observed personally.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a role that required building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, 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 astounded by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a deep bond for two female belugas with different natures.

“Eve accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They altered the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales developed against a background of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … get far better veterinary services and constant care than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park believed particulars of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and machinery.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s government official rejected a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a more general lack of awareness of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A proposed refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has been highly debated. The planned location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the short term.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|