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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their destiny often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to end their lives unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that entailed gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting personalities.

“One whale selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales developed against a background of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the facility links to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and 24/7 care than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to send the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an relocation that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reveal a wider misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers struggle to find a answer, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for local populations.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The future site, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the possibility of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

An official, head of the initiative, said the site will mimic the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|