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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned debate over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the authorities covers the cost of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and social skills point to they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She developed a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a background of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility links to age-related causes, but which campaigners say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality medical attention and constant supervision than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in early March following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed details of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official turned down a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments indicate a wider incorrect perception of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has been contentious. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Supporters remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a permanent solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the idea of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|