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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a closed attraction, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are held threatened to put them down unless the government covers the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent creatures – something one caretaker observed directly.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a position that entailed building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She formed a special affection for two female belugas with opposing personalities.

“Eve chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They altered the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales evolved against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but earlier claimed: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and around the clock care than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility suspected details of the death were shared to the media and she was released soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a continued existence in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that whales belong in the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would prolong the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reveal a broader lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for local populations.

A planned sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has proven most controversial. The planned site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Supporters remain hopeful that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for eight 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’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the facility will mimic the mental engagement and nutrition the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|