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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense discussion over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the authorities funds the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that entailed gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far better health care and 24/7 care than any individual in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in the spring following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility believed details of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s government official rejected a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual life in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would prolong the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reflect a broader misunderstanding of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The planned facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the idea of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|