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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute little “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their future often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to put them down unless the authorities funds the cost of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent creatures – something a former trainer observed directly.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a position that involved gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park links to expected lifespan, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and constant attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in recent months following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility believed information of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a ongoing life in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that whales are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a more general misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, is not yet built. Supporters remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a feasible solution in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|