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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to euthanize them unless the government pays for the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker learned personally.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She cultivated a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with different natures.

“One whale selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which advocates say points to the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far better health care and 24/7 care than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park believed information of the death were disclosed to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that whales are meant for the sea, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience authorize an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

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

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for local populations.

A planned sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The planned facility, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a long term resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|