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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the government pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer learned personally.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that required gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and quirks in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for two female belugas with different natures.

“One whale chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both altered the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a background of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far superior veterinary services and constant attention than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility suspected particulars of the death were leaked to the press and she was fired not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reflect a broader misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities 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 natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has been contentious. The future facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible solution in the near future.

Charles Vinick, leader of the initiative, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|