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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the national authorities disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are held threatened to put them down unless the authorities funds the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker discovered personally.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a position that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their characters. She developed a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each altered the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the park links to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but earlier asserted: “The whales … get far higher quality health care and constant attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in recent months following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed details of the incident were leaked to the media and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s government official turned down a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a ongoing life in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister stated. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the sea, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an transfer that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reveal a broader incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a answer, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The future location, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the possibility of a sanctuary reflects a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable plan in the coming months.

The project lead, head of the plan, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|