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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense discussion over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker learned personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a job that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with opposing natures.

“Eve selected me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both changed the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and constant attention than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected particulars of the incident were leaked to the media and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She supports calls for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s government official turned down a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing situation in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reflect a more general incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A planned protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has been highly debated. The future location, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Supporters remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a sustainable solution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the possibility of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the near future.

The project lead, leader of the initiative, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|