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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their fate often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to put them down unless the authorities funds the expense of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something a former trainer observed personally.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with different natures.

“One whale selected me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They changed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which advocates say reflects the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … receive far better health care and around the clock supervision than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the park in the spring following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility believed details of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official rejected a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued situation in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that whales belong in the wild, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience approve an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reflect a broader incorrect perception of the realities of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a answer, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan 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 protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The planned location, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the idea of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

The project lead, leader of the initiative, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|