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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense discussion over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the people who work with them regularly.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the federal government covers the cost of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker observed directly.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that required building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

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

“Eve accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both changed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier claimed: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and constant care than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park believed information of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

“It cannot happen in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s government official denied a request to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reveal a wider misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a answer, ideas have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of sustenance for local populations.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has proven highly debated. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable solution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the idea of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

Charles Vinick, leader of the initiative, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|