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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to end their lives unless the government pays for the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions point to they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker learned directly.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a position that required building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with different natures.

“Eve chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the facility links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say points to the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … get far better health care and around the clock attention than any human in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in early March following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park thought details of the death were disclosed to the press and she was fired soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “considerable manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that whales are meant for the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reflect a more general incorrect perception of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of food for Inuit communities.

A planned protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The prospective location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, is not yet built. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a long term solution 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 “only an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|