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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to put them down unless the authorities funds the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker observed directly.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a role that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She developed a particular love for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

“Eve selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both changed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality health care and constant supervision than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in recent months following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought information of the incident were shared to the press and she was released soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and machinery.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to send the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that whales are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would prolong the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reflect a wider lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a resolution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A proposed refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the plan, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|