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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute little “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to end their lives unless the federal government funds the expense of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer discovered first-hand.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a position that required building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She developed a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“One whale selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and around the clock care than any individual in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the park in early March following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She supports calls for the whales to be taken immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

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

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals are meant for the sea, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reflect a broader misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for local populations.

A suggested refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term resolution 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 trial” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

The project lead, head of the plan, said the facility will replicate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales get from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|