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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to put them down unless the federal government funds the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered personally.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

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

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with different natures.

“Eve selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a context of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park attributes to natural mortality, 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 the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far superior health care and around the clock attention than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in early March following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park believed details of the incident were shared to the press and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s government official turned down a bid to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing authorize an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reveal a broader lack of awareness of the circumstances of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has been most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the possibility of a sanctuary reflects a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

The project lead, leader of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|