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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their future often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the authorities funds the cost of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and group interactions point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned personally.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“One whale accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a context of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far better health care and 24/7 attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park suspected information of the incident were leaked to the media and she was fired not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, trucks and specialized tools.

“There’s no way in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a continued situation in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that whales belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reveal a wider lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities attempt to find a solution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The planned location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent solution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ future.

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

The project lead, leader of the plan, said the facility will mimic the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|