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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their destiny often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to end their lives unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a position that required earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She formed a deep bond for a pair of whales with different natures.

“One whale chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales developed against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and around the clock attention than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in early March following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park believed information of the death were shared to the media and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and machinery.

“It cannot happen in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official turned down a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing life in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reflect a wider misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for local populations.

A planned protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be most controversial. The planned facility, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent solution for eight of the whales.

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

Different voices say the possibility of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable plan in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|