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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their future often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are held threatened to put them down unless the federal government pays for the expense of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker discovered directly.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency 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 vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the subtleties and unique traits in their characters. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“One whale selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior veterinary services and 24/7 care than any person in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in recent months following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility believed particulars of the death were disclosed to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any efforts to put down even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the sea, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would prolong the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reveal a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A planned protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been highly debated. The planned location, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer 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 trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|