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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer discovered personally.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a job that involved earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

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

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far superior health care and around the clock care than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in early March following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park believed particulars of the incident were leaked to the press and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense manpower”, equipment and machinery.

“It’s impossible in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

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

“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual situation in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that whales are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience approve an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments indicate a wider incorrect perception of the circumstances of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The future facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

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

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the near future.

An official, head of the plan, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|