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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to put them down unless the authorities funds the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a role that entailed gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their characters. She formed a special affection for two female belugas with different personalities.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but previously claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior medical attention and around the clock care than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility thought information of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense manpower”, trucks 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 removed immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to export the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reflect a more general incorrect perception of the facts of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat represents a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible solution in the near future.

An official, head of the plan, said the site will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|