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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute little “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the government funds the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions point to they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different temperaments.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park links to age-related causes, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about 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 … get far higher quality medical attention and 24/7 attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in early March following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed information of the death were disclosed to the press and she was released shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any plans to put down even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

She supports calls for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

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

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that whales are meant for the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing authorize an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments indicate a more general incorrect perception of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A proposed protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has been highly debated. The future site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the near future.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|