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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the cost of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something a former trainer learned directly.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a role that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a special affection for two female belugas with different natures.

“Eve selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They altered the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility links to age-related causes, but which advocates say points to the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and 24/7 supervision than any person in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in early March following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility believed particulars of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and machinery.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

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

“To approve the request would have meant a continued situation in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As society, we know that whales are meant for the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reveal a wider misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a answer, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A proposed refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The planned site, which includes a large area of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the prospect of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the near future.

The project lead, head of the plan, said the site will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|