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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves 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 been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the federal government funds the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are remarkably smart mammals – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a role that involved gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She formed a special affection for a pair of whales with contrasting personalities.

“One whale selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a context of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far superior medical attention and constant attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park believed details of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in despair. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the sea, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing approve an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reveal a more general lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a answer, ideas have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a important part of sustenance for local populations.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has been contentious. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the prospect of a refuge reflects a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

An official, director of the initiative, said the site will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|