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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are held warned to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a position that required earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with different natures.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They changed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say points to the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but previously claimed: “The whales … receive far higher quality medical attention and 24/7 care than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in early March following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park thought particulars of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reveal a wider misunderstanding of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers attempt to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The future facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable plan in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|