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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often overlooks 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 Canadian government blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the government pays for the cost of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the nuances and quirks in their personalities. She developed a particular love for two female belugas with opposing personalities.

“Eve selected me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both changed the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which advocates say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

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 cessation. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and around the clock care than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the park in the spring following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park suspected details of the death were shared to the media and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

“It cannot happen in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to send the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments indicate a broader lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The future location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, is not yet built. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a long term resolution for a number 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’ fate.

Some experts say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

The project lead, director of the initiative, said the site will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|