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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that involved 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 trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so surprised by the details and quirks in their characters. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“Eve selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each transformed the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far higher quality health care and around the clock care than any human in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in the spring following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought particulars of the death were shared to the media and she was fired soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

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

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

“To approve the proposal would have meant a continued existence in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an export that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks reflect a broader incorrect perception of the realities of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable solution in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|