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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the upkeep of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent creatures – something one caretaker learned personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a job that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which advocates say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but previously stated: “The whales … get far better health care and 24/7 care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in recent months following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park believed details of the incident were leaked to the press and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred right away from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

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

“To approve the application would have meant a continued situation in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the sea, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a broader misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The prospective location, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the possibility of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will mimic the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|