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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker observed personally.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a position that involved earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their characters. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with different natures.

“One whale selected me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both transformed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park links to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far better health care and constant care than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility believed details of the death were shared to the press and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, equipment and specialized tools.

“It’s impossible in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

She advocates for requests for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official denied a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a continued life in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reflect a more general lack of awareness of the facts of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care 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 Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a solution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A planned protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received government approval, has proven most controversial. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent solution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the short term.

An official, leader of the plan, said the facility will replicate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|