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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated controversy over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to put them down unless the authorities funds the upkeep of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so amazed by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales developed against a context of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and around the clock attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in recent months following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed particulars of the incident were leaked to the press and she was released soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to humanely kill 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 supports demands for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s government official denied a bid to send the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a continued life in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that belugas should be in the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience permit an export that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements indicate a wider misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A planned sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has been contentious. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

An official, director of the plan, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|