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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to end their lives unless the government covers the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that entailed earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“One whale selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “They altered the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far better health care and around the clock supervision than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility believed information of the incident were leaked to the media and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s government official rejected a request to send the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reflect a more general lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a answer, proposals have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The planned facility, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the coming months.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|