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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent creatures – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a position that required earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with different natures.

“Eve selected me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each transformed the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales developed against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far superior medical attention and 24/7 attention than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in early March following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park thought particulars of the death were disclosed to the press and she was fired soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any efforts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official rejected a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that whales are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reflect a wider lack of awareness of the facts of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a answer, ideas have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has been contentious. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable approach in the coming months.

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