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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the authorities funds the expense of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are remarkably smart mammals – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

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

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

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

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and constant attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in early March following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility believed details of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a single beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be transferred right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official turned down a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing life in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments indicate a more general misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has shown to be highly debated. The future site, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ future.

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

The project lead, head of the plan, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|