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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the authorities covers the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker observed personally.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a position that involved 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 unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales progressed against a background of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far higher quality health care and around the clock attention than any individual in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed particulars of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to put down even a one beluga would require “immense manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

“It’s impossible in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” 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 relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments indicate a wider lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a answer, ideas have been put forward, 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 key source of food for Inuit communities.

A suggested refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The future site, which includes a large area of protected cove, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the coming months.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will mimic the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|