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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the federal government funds the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker observed personally.

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

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the subtleties and unique traits in their characters. She formed a special affection for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“Eve chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a background of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park links to age-related causes, but which advocates say indicates the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far superior health care and 24/7 attention than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in early March following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park suspected particulars of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official rejected a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

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

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has proven most controversial. The future location, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the idea of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, head of the plan, said the location will mimic the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|