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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming little “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer observed directly.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with different natures.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They transformed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality health care and around the clock supervision than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility believed information of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official denied a request to send the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a continued existence in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the sea, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments indicate a wider incorrect perception of the realities of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely 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 straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a answer, ideas have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The planned site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary represents a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

The project lead, head of the plan, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|