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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned debate over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government pays for the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and social skills indicate they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess observed personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale selected me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but previously claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior medical attention and 24/7 supervision than any person in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility believed details of the death were leaked to the press and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “considerable manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a request to export the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would prolong the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a wider misunderstanding of the circumstances of life for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a answer, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A proposed protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The planned site, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

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

Some experts say the possibility of a protected habitat represents a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|