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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the upkeep of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions point to they are remarkably smart animals – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a position that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and quirks in their personalities. She formed a particular love for two female belugas with different natures.

“Eve chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park links to expected lifespan, but which advocates say points to the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far better health care and constant supervision than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park believed particulars of the death were leaked to the press and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s government official turned down a proposal to export the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an transfer that would prolong the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The future facility, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

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

The project lead, head of the plan, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|