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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are housed warned to euthanize them unless the government covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent animals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a position that required building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing those relationships 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 very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They altered the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her time at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and constant attention than any person in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in the spring following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility suspected particulars of the incident were leaked to the media and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

“It cannot happen in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to export the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a ongoing life in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have experienced.”

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

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The prospective location, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

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

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

An official, head of the plan, said the site will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|