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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. 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 been caught in a disagreement between a shuttered park, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense discussion over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government pays for the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are remarkably smart animals – something Kristy Burgess observed personally.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that entailed building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and quirks in their dispositions. She formed a special affection for a pair of whales with different natures.

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

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales evolved against a context of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

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

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park believed details of the incident were leaked to the media and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s government official turned down a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that belugas should be in the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reveal a wider misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a answer, proposals have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has been contentious. The planned facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a sustainable answer for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the possibility of a refuge 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 sanctuary project, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|