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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the expense of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart mammals – something a former trainer discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a position that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She developed a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing temperaments.

“One whale selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both transformed the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales developed against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality health care and around the clock supervision than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park believed details of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and machinery.

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

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

In late September, Canada’s government official turned down a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements indicate a broader lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to understand 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. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The planned site, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the possibility of a protected habitat represents a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable plan in the short term.

The project lead, leader of the initiative, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|