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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the intense discussion over their fate often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to put them down unless the federal government funds the cost of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

“Eve chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both changed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales developed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and around the clock care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility believed information of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s government official turned down a proposal to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a continued existence in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks indicate a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of nourishment for local populations.

A planned refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The prospective location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the near future.

An official, director of the plan, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|