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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the cost of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a job that required building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those bonds 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 shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with different temperaments.

“One whale selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They altered the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales evolved against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say points to the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far superior veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any individual in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility thought information of the death were disclosed to the press and she was released shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the ocean, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments indicate a wider incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a solution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The future site, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the idea of a refuge reflects a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

An official, head of the plan, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|