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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute little “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are held threatened to put them down unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker learned personally.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that involved building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

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

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

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

During her three years at the facility, 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 number which the park links to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the cessation. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior veterinary services and constant supervision than any person in the UK, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the park in recent months following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility thought particulars of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official denied a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements indicate a wider misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to understand 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 understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a answer, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the possibility of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

The project lead, head of the initiative, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|