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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned debate over their future often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are held threatened to end their lives unless the government funds the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart mammals – something a former trainer observed personally.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity 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 trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but previously claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality medical attention and 24/7 care than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in recent months following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed particulars of the incident were leaked to the media and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense staff”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official turned down a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the minister stated. “As Canadians, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience approve an export that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reveal a wider misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A proposed refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has shown to be highly debated. The planned site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

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

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|