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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated discussion over their future often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to put them down unless the government pays for the upkeep of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and communal behavior point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that entailed gaining confidence 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 wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She developed a particular love for two female belugas with opposing personalities.

“Eve chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales developed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and constant care than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in the spring following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park believed details of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

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

“Allowing the application would have meant a continued life in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that whales belong in the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an export that would continue the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reveal a more general lack of awareness of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a solution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The planned location, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a sustainable resolution for a number 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’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will replicate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|