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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute little “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a tussle between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the authorities covers the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with different natures.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a context of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her time 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 2019, a toll which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but earlier claimed: “The whales … receive far better health care and around the clock attention than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in early March following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected particulars of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a one beluga would require “immense manpower”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that whales belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks indicate a broader incorrect perception of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“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 understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A planned protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The future location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term resolution 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 trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will mimic the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|