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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense discussion over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. 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 magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

“Eve selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility links to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but previously claimed: “The whales … get far superior health care and 24/7 attention than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park believed information of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

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

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to export the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing life in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a broader misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a answer, ideas have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for local populations.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of protected cove, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|