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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated debate over their future often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the government funds the expense of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the outset, 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 extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and unique traits in their characters. She formed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“Eve chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each transformed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales evolved against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which advocates say indicates the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and 24/7 attention than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in early March following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility believed details of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s government official denied a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reflect a more general incorrect perception of the circumstances of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a solution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has proven most controversial. The planned location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable solution for some of the whales.

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

Others say the possibility of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

The project lead, leader of the initiative, said the location will replicate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|