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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their destiny often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to put them down unless the government funds the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and social skills point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something one caretaker learned personally.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a position that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the nuances and quirks in their dispositions. She formed a deep bond for two female belugas with different personalities.

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

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say points to the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier claimed: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and 24/7 care than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in early March following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed details of the death were shared to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official rejected a request to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks indicate a wider lack of awareness 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 captivity and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a answer, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the idea of a refuge represents a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the short term.

The project lead, head of the plan, said the facility will simulate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|