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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense debate over their destiny often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the people who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale 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 federal government pays for the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something a former trainer discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“One whale chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, passed away. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility links to natural mortality, but which advocates say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

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

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility suspected particulars of the incident were leaked to the press and she was fired soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess backs demands for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a wider lack of awareness of the facts of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of sustenance for local populations.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The planned location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain hopeful that it could in time represent a sustainable answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the idea of a protected habitat indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the near future.

An official, head of the plan, said the site will mimic the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|