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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a closed attraction, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their future often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to end their lives unless the authorities funds the cost of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker learned directly.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a role that required building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so astounded by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with opposing temperaments.

“Eve chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her time at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but previously claimed: “The whales … receive far superior veterinary services and 24/7 supervision than any person in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in recent months following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park thought information of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s government official rejected a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a continued situation in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that whales are meant for the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments indicate a more general lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has shown to be most controversial. The planned facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent solution for a number of the whales.

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

Different voices say the possibility of a refuge reflects a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the coming months.

The project lead, head of the plan, said the location will mimic the mental engagement and nutrition the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|