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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the humans who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the federal government funds the expense of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker discovered personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a position that involved building relationships of the aquatic animals.

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

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She formed a special affection for a pair of whales with opposing temperaments.

“One whale chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales developed against a background of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which advocates say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

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

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed information of the death were leaked to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a single beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

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

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an export that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of life 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 rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a resolution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A proposed refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has proven most controversial. The planned facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

The project lead, leader of the plan, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|