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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government funds the upkeep of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a role that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity 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.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and unique traits in their characters. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They altered the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say points to the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and around the clock attention than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility suspected details of the incident were shared to the press and she was fired not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

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

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reflect a wider lack of awareness of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has proven contentious. The planned site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could ultimately represent a sustainable answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a viable approach in the short term.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|