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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense discussion over their fate often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are held threatened to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer learned personally.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a position that required earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales evolved against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far superior health care and around the clock care than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in recent months following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility thought information of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s government official denied a proposal to export the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reflect a wider lack of awareness of the facts of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for local populations.

A planned refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which has received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The planned location, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the idea of a sanctuary represents a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible solution in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|