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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their fate often overlooks the complexities 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 national authorities blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the authorities covers the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something a former trainer learned personally.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a role that required gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. 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 nevertheless amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both altered the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales evolved against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but previously stated: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and around the clock care than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in early March following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park suspected information of the death were shared to the press and she was fired not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She supports calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s government official rejected a request to send the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual situation in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks indicate a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has proven contentious. The planned site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

The project lead, head of the plan, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|