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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute little “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the federal government funds the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker learned directly.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

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

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and constant supervision than any human in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility believed particulars of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and machinery.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s government official denied a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the sea, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience authorize an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reveal a broader lack of awareness of the circumstances of life for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a answer, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of food for Inuit communities.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The planned location, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

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

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat represents a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

The project lead, leader of the initiative, said the location will replicate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|