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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 large but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker observed personally.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that required earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the subtleties and unique traits in their characters. She developed a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing temperaments.

“One whale selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both changed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a context of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park links to natural mortality, but which advocates say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and around the clock attention than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected details of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She supports calls for the whales to be taken immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official denied a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience permit an export that would prolong the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reveal a broader lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has been contentious. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a permanent solution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a workable approach in the near future.

The project lead, leader of the plan, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|