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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their future often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government pays for the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something one caretaker discovered personally.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed building relationships of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with contrasting personalities.

“Eve accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which advocates say reflects the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and 24/7 attention than any human in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park thought information of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a request to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing existence in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing authorize an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments indicate a more general incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The future facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the possibility of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable plan in the short term.

An official, head of the plan, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|