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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to end their lives unless the federal government funds the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a position that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

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

“Eve chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a background of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality medical attention and around the clock attention than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in the spring following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park believed information of the death were disclosed to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

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

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual situation in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that whales belong in the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have endured.”

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

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of food for local populations.

A proposed protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has been contentious. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable solution 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 untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the idea of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

An official, director of the initiative, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|