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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are held threatened to put them down unless the government pays for the expense of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker observed directly.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a position that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a particular love for a pair of whales with different personalities.

“One whale accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … get far higher quality veterinary services and constant attention than any human in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in the spring following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected details of the death were leaked to the media and she was released shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the ocean, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reflect a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp 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. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A planned sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The planned site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the facility will mimic the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|