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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to end their lives unless the federal government funds the cost of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something one caretaker learned personally.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that entailed gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the details and unique traits in their characters. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her time at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and constant care than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility thought particulars of the death were disclosed to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official denied a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing life in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reveal a more general lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of food for local populations.

A proposed protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for a number of the whales.

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

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary reflects a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, head of the plan, said the facility will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|