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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a defunct facility, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the expense of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a position that entailed earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with different natures.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They altered the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a context of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say points to the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … get far higher quality medical attention and 24/7 care than any person in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in recent months following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park suspected information of the death were leaked to the media and she was released soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “significant staff”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

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

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that whales belong in the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments indicate a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for local populations.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The planned facility, which includes a large area of protected cove, is not yet built. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

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

Some experts say the possibility of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable approach in the coming months.

An official, head of the initiative, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|