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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming little “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something a former trainer observed directly.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the details and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with different natures.

“One whale accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a context of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and 24/7 attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in recent months following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to send the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reveal a wider lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a answer, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The future facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|