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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the intense debate over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities funds the cost of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

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

“One whale selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and constant attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in the spring following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected particulars of the incident were leaked to the media and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in despair. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

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

In the autumn, the nation’s government official denied a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a continued existence in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that whales are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reflect a wider misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for local populations.

A planned refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The future site, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

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

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

An official, head of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|