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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to euthanize them unless the government funds the expense of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

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

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both changed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far superior health care and around the clock supervision than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in early March following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected particulars of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense manpower”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

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

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in good conscience authorize an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reveal a more general lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A proposed refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has been contentious. The planned site, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable solution in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|