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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion 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 national authorities prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the government covers the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills point to they are deeply intelligent creatures – something one caretaker observed personally.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“Eve selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far better health care and 24/7 supervision than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park thought information of the incident were shared to the media and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

“There’s no way in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing life in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reveal a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a resolution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The planned location, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

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

Different voices say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a workable approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will mimic the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|