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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned debate over their destiny often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are housed warned to end their lives unless the government covers the expense of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication 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 trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and unique traits in their characters. She developed a particular love for a pair of whales with different natures.

“Eve chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her time at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far superior health care and 24/7 supervision than any person in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park suspected particulars of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be removed promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s government official denied a request to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in good conscience approve an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reveal a more general misunderstanding of the facts of life for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has been most controversial. The future site, which includes a large area of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable plan in the coming months.

An official, leader of the plan, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|