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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense debate over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, 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 survival. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer discovered directly.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a role that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the subtleties and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with different temperaments.

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

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a background of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. 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 reflects the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously stated: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and around the clock attention than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in the spring following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park thought information of the incident were shared to the media and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to put down even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be transferred right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s government official denied a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a continued existence in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reflect a broader incorrect perception of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a answer, proposals have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has been most controversial. The prospective location, which includes a large area of protected cove, is not yet built. Proponents remain positive that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the idea of a protected habitat represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|