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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to put them down unless the authorities covers the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the start, 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 magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the nuances and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“One whale selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both changed the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales evolved against a context of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … get far higher quality health care and around the clock care than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility thought particulars of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any efforts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official turned down a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a continued situation in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that whales should be in the ocean, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements indicate a broader incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of food for local populations.

A planned sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The future site, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the possibility of a refuge reflects a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales get from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|