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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the authorities pays for the expense of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and communal behavior point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer discovered directly.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a position that required earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“Eve selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each transformed the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales developed against a context of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far superior medical attention and 24/7 care than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in the spring following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park thought particulars of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any attempts to put down even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience authorize an export that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a wider misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A planned protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The future site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the possibility of a sanctuary reflects a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable solution in the coming months.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|