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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute little “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales 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 impassioned discussion over their destiny often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government pays for the upkeep of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that entailed building relationships of the marine predators.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so astounded by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She formed a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“Eve accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say points to the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but previously stated: “The whales … get far better medical attention and around the clock care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in early March following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought information of the death were shared to the press and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that belugas should be in the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments indicate a wider misunderstanding of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a answer, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The planned location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, is not yet built. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the possibility of a protected habitat represents a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the near future.

An official, director of the plan, said the location will simulate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|