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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a closed attraction, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their future often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the people who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the government funds the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting personalities.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … get far better medical attention and constant supervision than any human in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in recent months following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park thought information of the death were disclosed to the press and she was let go not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a ongoing life in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an transfer that would prolong the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reveal a more general lack of awareness of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” 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, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The planned location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a sustainable answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ future.

Others say the possibility of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the near future.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the facility will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|