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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute little “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the federal government pays for the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something a former trainer discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that involved gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with different personalities.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park links to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and around the clock care than any human in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in early March following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed information of the death were disclosed to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reflect a wider misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A planned sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The planned facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain hopeful that it could in time represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ future.

Others say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable solution in the near future.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|