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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to put them down unless the federal government pays for the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer discovered directly.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

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

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with opposing personalities.

“Eve accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each altered the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park links to expected lifespan, but which advocates say indicates the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and around the clock care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought information of the death were disclosed to the press and she was released shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s warning to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

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

“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual situation in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience authorize an export that would prolong the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments indicate a wider misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The future site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a long term solution for eight of the whales.

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

Others say the possibility of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the short term.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will mimic the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|