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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are housed warned to euthanize them unless the government covers the expense of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker observed directly.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a role that required earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so astounded by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with different personalities.

“One whale accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “They altered the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility links to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and constant care than any person in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected information of the death were leaked to the press and she was fired soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As society, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements indicate a broader misunderstanding of the circumstances of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The planned location, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Supporters remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable solution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the initiative, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|