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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a closed attraction, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense debate over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near the famous falls where they are held warned to end their lives unless the federal government covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and communal behavior point to they are deeply intelligent creatures – something a former trainer learned personally.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that involved gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different natures.

“One whale selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales developed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates 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 observed directly consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and 24/7 supervision than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in early March following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility suspected details of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a single beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and machinery.

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

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

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

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual situation in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would continue the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments indicate a broader lack of awareness of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers attempt to find a resolution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The prospective location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the possibility of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the facility will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|