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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense discussion over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the cost of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a role that required gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She formed a special affection for two female belugas with different temperaments.

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

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a context of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but previously claimed: “The whales … get far superior veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the park in early March following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought information of the death were disclosed to the media and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

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

In the autumn, the nation’s government official denied a request to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing approve an export that would continue the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reflect a wider misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers attempt to find a resolution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The future facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the prospect of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable approach in the short term.

An official, director of the plan, said the facility will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|