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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a disagreement between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense debate over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the authorities funds the cost of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer observed directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a job that involved gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

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

“One whale selected me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each transformed the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the cessation. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but previously stated: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and 24/7 care than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility thought particulars of the death were shared to the press and she was fired not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual life in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience approve an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reveal a wider incorrect perception of the facts of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The planned facility, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the prospect of a protected habitat represents a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

An official, leader of the plan, said the site will simulate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|