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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the people who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government funds the expense of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker observed directly.

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a position that required gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with different personalities.

“Eve selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both transformed the way I perceive connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a context of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say indicates the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality medical attention and constant supervision than any person in the UK, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the park in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed information of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

“It cannot happen in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

She supports calls for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that whales are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing approve an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reflect a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a resolution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be highly debated. The future site, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term resolution for eight of the whales.

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

Some experts say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable approach in the near future.

An official, head of the initiative, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|