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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the government funds the cost of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She formed a special affection for two female belugas with contrasting personalities.

“One whale chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both transformed the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far better health care and around the clock supervision than any human in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park suspected information of the incident were shared to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any efforts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s government official denied a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments indicate a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A planned protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has proven most controversial. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the plan, said the site will simulate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|