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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their future often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to put them down unless the federal government funds the cost of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that involved building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with different natures.

“One whale selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each transformed the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far better medical attention and around the clock attention than any person in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in recent months following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility suspected details of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a continued situation in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience approve an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reveal a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a answer, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of food for local populations.

A proposed refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has proven contentious. The future site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the possibility of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable approach in the short term.

An official, head of the initiative, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|