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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the government pays for the upkeep of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a position that entailed gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the nuances and quirks in their dispositions. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting natures.

“Eve accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each transformed the way I perceive connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a context of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

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

The park did not open to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far better health care and constant care than any individual in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park suspected information of the death were leaked to the media and she was fired not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and specialized tools.

“There’s no way in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s government official rejected a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister stated. “As Canadians, we know that whales are meant for the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements indicate a broader misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has proven highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the idea of a refuge indicates a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|