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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to put them down unless the authorities pays for the cost of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer learned personally.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that involved earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both altered the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a context of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the park links to expected lifespan, but which advocates say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and constant attention than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the park in early March following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park suspected information of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s government official turned down a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing life in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reflect a more general incorrect perception of the facts of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The planned facility, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat represents a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable solution in the short term.

An official, leader of the plan, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|