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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government funds the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so astounded by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She formed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing temperaments.

“Eve selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They altered the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far better medical attention and around the clock attention than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected particulars of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

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

“To approve the request would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks indicate a broader lack of awareness of the facts of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of food for local populations.

A planned protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has been contentious. The future facility, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could ultimately represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a viable approach in the short term.

An official, head of the plan, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|