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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government pays for the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and communal behavior suggest they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

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

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with different natures.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both changed the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the closure. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and around the clock care than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility believed information of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in despair. 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 “immense personnel”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

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

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reveal a broader misunderstanding of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities attempt to find a answer, ideas have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a important part of sustenance for local populations.

A planned sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has been highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a long term answer 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 “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

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

The project lead, leader of the sanctuary project, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|