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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are kept warned to put them down unless the government pays for the cost of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and social skills point to they are highly cognitive creatures – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that entailed building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. 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 nevertheless astounded by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with opposing natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier stated: “The whales … receive far higher quality medical attention and 24/7 supervision than any individual in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the park in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility suspected information of the death were leaked to the press and she was fired soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing approve an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reflect a broader lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt 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 wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for local populations.

A planned sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has been most controversial. The future facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Supporters remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will mimic the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|