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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the government funds the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that required earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with different personalities.

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

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales evolved against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the facility links to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and around the clock supervision than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

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

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to put down even a single beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and machinery.

“There’s no way in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

She supports demands for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official rejected a request to send the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reveal a more general lack of awareness of the facts of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A proposed refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The planned site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the idea of a protected habitat represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

The project lead, head of the plan, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|