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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the federal government pays for the expense of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with different personalities.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her time at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say points to the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and around the clock attention than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed particulars of the death were shared to the press and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s government official turned down a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reveal a broader lack of awareness of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a solution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A suggested refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has proven most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will mimic the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|