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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and group interactions point to they are deeply intelligent creatures – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that required gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and unique traits in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting personalities.

“Eve selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her time at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand effects of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … get far superior health care and constant care than any human in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in early March following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed details of the death were shared to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments indicate a broader misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a answer, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been highly debated. The future site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|