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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often fails to consider 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 Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that entailed gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

“Eve selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and 24/7 care than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in recent months following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park believed details of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a single beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a request to send the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an relocation that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reflect a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|