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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the federal government covers the cost of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart animals – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She formed a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

“One whale chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both changed the way I perceive bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed against a background of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but previously stated: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and constant attention than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in the spring following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were shared to the media and she was let go 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 end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a one beluga would require “considerable manpower”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

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

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks indicate a broader incorrect perception of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has proven most controversial. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, is not yet built. Supporters remain hopeful that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for some of the whales.

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

Some experts say the possibility of a sanctuary reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

The project lead, leader of the plan, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales get from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|