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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute little “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the intense discussion over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to put them down unless the government pays for the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer learned personally.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Establishing those relationships 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 reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a special affection for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

“Eve chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales evolved against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility links to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and 24/7 attention than any human in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park believed details of the incident were leaked to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s warning to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “considerable manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s government official turned down a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that whales are meant for the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would prolong the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reflect a more general lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has proven highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the possibility of a refuge indicates a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

An official, director of the plan, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|