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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the government funds the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart mammals – something a former trainer learned directly.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with different natures.

“One whale selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They transformed the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which activists say reflects the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and around the clock care than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in recent months following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility thought details of the death were disclosed to the media and she was fired not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

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

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing permit an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements indicate a more general incorrect perception of the realities of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The prospective location, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge indicates a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable approach in the near future.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|