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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

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 growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that required building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

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

“One whale selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They altered the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality medical attention and 24/7 supervision than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in the spring following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility thought details of the incident were shared to the press and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks indicate a broader misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The future location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could in time represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the prospect of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

The project lead, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|