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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense debate over their future often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to put them down unless the authorities covers the cost of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and social skills point to they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker observed personally.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a role that required building relationships of the marine predators.

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

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with opposing personalities.

“One whale chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I perceive bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far higher quality health care and around the clock attention than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in recent months following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park thought details of the incident were shared to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s government official turned down a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing situation in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reflect a wider misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent solution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|