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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept warned to put them down unless the federal government pays for the cost of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a position that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She formed a special affection for a pair of whales with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which advocates say indicates the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and around the clock supervision than any person in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park believed information of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be transferred right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that whales are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements indicate a broader misunderstanding of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers attempt to find a resolution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A planned protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The future facility, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat indicates a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable approach in the near future.

An official, leader of the plan, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|