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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the government covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior point to they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered directly.

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

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their characters. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“One whale chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both changed the way I perceive connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier asserted: “The whales … get far better medical attention and constant care than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in early March following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reveal a more general incorrect perception of the realities of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a answer, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A proposed refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has been most controversial. The future facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable approach in the near future.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the site will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|