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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to end their lives unless the government covers the expense of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions point to they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that entailed building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the subtleties and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but earlier asserted: “The whales … get far superior health care and constant supervision than any person in the Britain, 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 ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected particulars of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the park’s warning to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual situation in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reveal a wider incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, 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 important part of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has proven most controversial. The future site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the possibility of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the short term.

An official, head of the initiative, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|