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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense discussion over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the cost of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

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

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the subtleties and unique traits in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with contrasting personalities.

“Eve selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the facility links to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the guests 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 degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and constant care than any human in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed particulars of the incident were leaked to the press and she was fired soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience approve an export that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements indicate a wider misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has shown to be highly debated. The planned location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the prospect of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

An official, head of the plan, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|