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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated discussion over their destiny often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the authorities covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and social skills point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a job that required gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

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

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with different personalities.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both transformed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far better health care and constant care than any human in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the park in early March following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility 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 Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s warning to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, equipment and machinery.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official denied a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued existence in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reflect a wider misunderstanding of the circumstances of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a solution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The future location, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the possibility of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable solution in the short term.

An official, head of the plan, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|