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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to put them down unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent creatures – something a former trainer observed personally.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that entailed gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the details and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a deep bond for two female belugas with different natures.

“Eve accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both transformed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and constant care than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park believed particulars of the death were leaked to the press and she was fired not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any efforts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official rejected a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual life in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks indicate a wider misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a answer, 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 food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has shown to be highly debated. The planned facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|