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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a closed attraction, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned debate over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are housed warned to end their lives unless the government funds the expense of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior point to they are deeply intelligent animals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that required gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She formed a special affection for a pair of whales with different personalities.

“One whale chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park links to age-related causes, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but previously stated: “The whales … get far higher quality medical attention and constant care than any individual in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in early March following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility believed particulars of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

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

In the autumn, Canada’s government official turned down a proposal to export the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As the public, 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 perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reveal a wider misunderstanding of the realities of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives 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 straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers attempt to find a answer, ideas have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has been highly debated. The planned location, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the idea of a protected habitat indicates a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable plan in the short term.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|