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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the authorities covers the expense of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive creatures – something a former trainer learned directly.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that entailed building relationships of the sea creatures.

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

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting personalities.

“One whale chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility links to age-related causes, but which advocates say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in recent months following the demise of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park thought particulars of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to put down even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s government official rejected a proposal to send the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a continued existence in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that whales should be in the ocean, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a wider misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A planned protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has proven highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the idea of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|