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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a closed attraction, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their future often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been carefully observed by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent creatures – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a position that entailed building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for two female belugas with different personalities.

“One whale accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both transformed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park links to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far superior health care and constant care than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in the spring following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park believed details of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to put down even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

“There’s no way in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

She advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a perpetual situation in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As Canadians, we know that belugas belong in the ocean, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks indicate a wider incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a solution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The future site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

The project lead, head of the initiative, said the location will mimic the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|