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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the government pays for the expense of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart mammals – something a former trainer learned first-hand.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that required earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with opposing natures.

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

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but previously claimed: “The whales … obtain far higher quality medical attention and around the clock attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in early March following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed particulars of the death were leaked to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, equipment and machinery.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

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

“Granting the request would have meant a ongoing life in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As society, we know that whales belong in the ocean, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for local populations.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has shown to be highly debated. The planned site, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

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

Some experts say the prospect of a protected habitat indicates a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable plan in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the site will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|