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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the intense discussion over their future often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the expense of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

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

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing temperaments.

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

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say points to the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and constant care than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in early March following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility thought details of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense manpower”, equipment and specialized tools.

“There’s no way in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

She backs calls for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official denied a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing life in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the sea, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would prolong the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks reflect a broader incorrect perception of the facts of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a solution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has proven contentious. The planned facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the idea of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the plan, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|