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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a shuttered park, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their destiny often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the export of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and social skills point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker observed directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a job that required building relationships of the marine predators.

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

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so astounded by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a special affection for two female belugas with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the park, 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 statistic which the park links to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and around the clock attention than any individual in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed particulars 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 other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum 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 single beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

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

“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reflect a wider lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a answer, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The planned location, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain hopeful that it could in time represent a sustainable resolution for a number 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 trial” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a feasible solution in the near future.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|