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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated controversy over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government funds the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer observed personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that required earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She developed a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing temperaments.

“One whale selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park links to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far higher quality veterinary services and 24/7 care than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

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

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a request to send the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a continued situation in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks indicate a wider lack of awareness of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The prospective site, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a viable plan in the coming months.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|