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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their destiny often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government funds the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart animals – something a former trainer observed personally.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that required earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“Eve chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a context of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which activists say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far better health care and 24/7 attention than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in early March following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected details of the incident were leaked to the media and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, equipment and heavy equipment.

“There’s no way in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

She advocates for requests for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience permit an export that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a broader misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has proven most controversial. The planned location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

An official, head of the plan, said the location will mimic the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|