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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a disagreement between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the upkeep of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess discovered directly.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a role that required earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which advocates say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far superior health care and 24/7 supervision than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in recent months following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park thought details of the incident were leaked to the media and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

“There’s no way in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s government official denied a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing approve an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reflect a more general misunderstanding of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a answer, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

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

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat represents a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the coming months.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the site will mimic the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|