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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to put them down unless the authorities funds the cost of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that involved earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each altered the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a context of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

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

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in early March following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected particulars of the death were leaked to the press and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any plans to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and heavy equipment.

“It cannot happen in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

She backs requests for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a request to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reflect a more general incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The society 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 easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for local populations.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The future location, which includes a large area of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the idea of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the site will simulate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|