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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the federal government covers the upkeep of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer discovered directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that involved gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. 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 extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with different natures.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They altered the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but earlier stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality medical attention and constant supervision than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in early March following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought particulars of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s government official turned down a request to send the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a ongoing life in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that belugas should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in good conscience authorize an transfer that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reflect a wider misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public 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 resolution, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A suggested protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The future facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

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

Some experts say the possibility of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the near future.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will mimic the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|