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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess learned personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a job that entailed gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up 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 reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with opposing natures.

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

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and 24/7 care than any person in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park believed information of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments indicate a wider incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas born in captivity.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for Inuit communities.

A planned sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has been highly debated. The future location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

The project lead, director of the initiative, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|