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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their destiny often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the authorities pays for the expense of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a job that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility links to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far superior medical attention and constant care than any individual in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park thought details of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a single beluga would require “immense manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

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

“Granting the request would have meant a ongoing situation in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reveal a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities attempt to find a resolution, proposals have surfaced, 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 key source of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The planned site, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent solution for eight of the whales.

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

Some experts say the possibility of a sanctuary reflects a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|