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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated controversy over their destiny often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to end their lives unless the federal government pays for the cost of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that involved building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and quirks in their characters. She formed a particular love for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“Eve selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each transformed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but earlier stated: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and constant care than any human in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in recent months following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park thought particulars of the death were disclosed to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, equipment and machinery.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In late September, Canada’s government official rejected a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a continued existence in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that whales belong in the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reflect a wider incorrect perception of the realities of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A proposed refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The future location, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for some of the whales.

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

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary represents a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the initiative, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales get from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|