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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

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

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are housed warned to end their lives unless the authorities covers the cost of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive animals – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that entailed earning the trust of the sea creatures.

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

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the subtleties and unique traits in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“One whale chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “They altered the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility links to age-related causes, but which activists say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but earlier claimed: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and 24/7 attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the park in the spring following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility suspected details of the death were leaked to the press and she was released shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and machinery.

“It’s impossible in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

She supports calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a continued existence in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reveal a wider lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of sustenance for local populations.

A proposed protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent solution 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’ future.

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary reflects a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable solution in the near future.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|