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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the authorities funds the cost of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a position that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for a pair of whales with different personalities.

“One whale accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both transformed the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a context of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her time at the attraction, seven 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 facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior veterinary services and 24/7 care than any human in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park suspected particulars of the incident were leaked to the media and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “considerable manpower”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s government official turned down a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued existence in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an transfer that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reveal a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers attempt to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has been contentious. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary reflects a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable plan in the short term.

An official, director of the plan, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|