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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a disagreement between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense discussion over their future often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the government pays for the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something one caretaker learned personally.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“One whale chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They changed the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which advocates say indicates the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and constant care than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected details of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In late September, Canada’s government official turned down a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reflect a wider misunderstanding of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A suggested refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The future location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|