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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the government covers the expense of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent creatures – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required earning the trust of the marine predators.

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

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

“One whale accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both changed the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which advocates say points to the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far better veterinary services and 24/7 attention than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in recent months following the demise of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility suspected details of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official denied a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements indicate a wider misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a answer, proposals have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The planned location, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary represents a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|