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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the authorities funds the cost of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent creatures – something a former trainer learned first-hand.

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

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very wary 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 astounded by the subtleties and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

“Eve chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both transformed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a background of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners 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 Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and around the clock care than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility suspected particulars of the incident were leaked to the press and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and specialized tools.

“It cannot happen in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a request to send the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a continued situation in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reveal a more general lack of awareness of the facts of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to grasp 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. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be most controversial. The future site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

Charles Vinick, head of the initiative, said the location will mimic the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|