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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their destiny often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the federal government funds the expense of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and social skills indicate they are remarkably smart animals – something a former trainer observed personally.

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

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with opposing personalities.

“Eve chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both transformed the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far superior medical attention and constant supervision than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in recent months following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed details of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a single beluga would require “significant manpower”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing authorize an export that would continue the situation these belugas have suffered.”

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

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt 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 released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has shown to be most controversial. The planned site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term answer for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the idea of a refuge reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

An official, director of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales receive 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|