It is devastating’: the way thirty captive white whales have become tools in dispute over inhumane treatment.

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the government pays for the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent animals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed building relationships of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the start, 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.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She formed a deep bond for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

“Eve chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They changed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far superior health care and 24/7 supervision than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in recent months following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were shared to the press and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any efforts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s government official rejected a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a continued existence in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an export that would prolong the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

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

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a answer, ideas have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A proposed refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The planned facility, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales get from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|