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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated controversy over their future often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the authorities pays for the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess discovered personally.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the subtleties and unique traits in their characters. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“One whale chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far superior medical attention and constant attention than any person in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in recent months following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed particulars of the death were shared to the media and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a continued life in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that belugas belong in the ocean, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a broader incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers attempt to find a resolution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has been contentious. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, is not yet built. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable resolution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|