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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their future often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial facility near Niagara 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 marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that required gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very wary 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.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They altered the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a background of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but previously stated: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and constant supervision than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park thought information of the death were disclosed to the press and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

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

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to send the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reveal a wider lack of awareness of the circumstances 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. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has proven highly debated. The future facility, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” 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 viable approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the plan, said the facility will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|