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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a role that entailed gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very cautious 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.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

“Eve accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They changed the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a background of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but earlier asserted: “The whales … get far higher quality health care and 24/7 care than any person in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected information of the death were leaked to the media and she was fired not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant manpower”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

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

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that whales should be in the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing authorize an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reflect a broader incorrect perception of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has been highly debated. The future site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

An official, director of the initiative, said the site will simulate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|