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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute little “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the government covers the expense of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart animals – something a former trainer discovered first-hand.

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a role that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions 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 results of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far better medical attention and constant attention than any human in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in early March following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park suspected details of the incident were leaked to the press and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “significant personnel”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be transferred right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a request to send the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reflect a wider incorrect perception of the facts of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has proven contentious. The future location, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

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

Others say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable solution in the coming months.

An official, leader of the plan, said the location will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|