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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated controversy over their future often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to put them down unless the government pays for the cost of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and communal behavior point to they are deeply intelligent creatures – something a former trainer learned directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a job that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“Eve selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “They altered the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the park links to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but earlier claimed: “The whales … receive far higher quality medical attention and constant care than any human in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park believed information of the death were shared to the media and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

“There’s no way in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual situation in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that belugas should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reflect a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas born in captivity.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for Inuit communities.

A suggested refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has proven most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the idea of a sanctuary reflects a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible plan in the near future.

Charles Vinick, leader of the initiative, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|