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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent creatures – something a former trainer discovered directly.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each altered the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a context of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far superior medical attention and 24/7 care than any human in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in the spring following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park thought particulars of the death were leaked to the press and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a ongoing situation in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As society, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reveal a wider misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a resolution, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of food for Inuit communities.

A planned protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has shown to be most controversial. The planned facility, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the possibility of a refuge represents a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable approach in the near future.

The project lead, director of the plan, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|