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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

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

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting personalities.

“One whale selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a context of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far superior medical attention and constant attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility believed information of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and machinery.

“It cannot happen in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

She advocates for requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

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

“Allowing the application would have meant a continued existence in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience approve an transfer that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a more general incorrect perception of the facts of existence 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 constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a answer, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, director of the plan, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|