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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been carefully observed by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are held warned to put them down unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer learned first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a position that involved earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the details and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with different natures.

“One whale selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s 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 single killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which advocates say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but previously claimed: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and 24/7 supervision than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in the spring following the passing of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park believed details of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

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

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reflect a more general misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has proven highly debated. The prospective location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge represents a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

An official, head of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|