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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the government covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer learned directly.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that required building relationships of the marine predators.

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

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the nuances and quirks in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They altered the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far better health care and around the clock care than any person in the UK, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility thought information of the death were shared to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any efforts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be taken immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official rejected a request to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reflect a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a key source of sustenance for local populations.

A proposed refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the possibility of a refuge reflects a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

An official, head of the initiative, said the site will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|