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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their future often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the authorities pays for the expense of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something one caretaker learned directly.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that entailed earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with contrasting temperaments.

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

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales progressed against a background of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility links to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far higher quality medical attention and around the clock care than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility thought particulars of the death were disclosed to the press and she was fired soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

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

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to send the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas should be in the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would prolong the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments indicate a broader lack of awareness of the facts of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A suggested refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has been contentious. The future location, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable approach in the coming months.

An official, director of the plan, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|