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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the authorities covers the cost of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a position that involved gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a particular love for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

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

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a background of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far better health care and constant care than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in early March following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park believed information of the death were shared to the media and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

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

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing authorize an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks indicate a more general incorrect perception of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public 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 realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has proven most controversial. The planned site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable approach in the short term.

The project lead, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|