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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are held threatened to put them down unless the authorities covers the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart animals – something Kristy Burgess discovered personally.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far better health care and around the clock care than any person in the UK, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility thought information of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

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

“Granting the request would have meant a continued existence in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reflect a broader lack of awareness of the circumstances of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely 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 straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. 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 food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The planned facility, which includes a large area of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent resolution for eight of the whales.

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

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the plan, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|