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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the national authorities disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills point to they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer learned personally.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that entailed gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships 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 reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

“One whale chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park links to natural mortality, but which advocates say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and constant attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in the spring following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park suspected particulars of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the park’s warning to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense manpower”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for calls for the whales to be transferred right away from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s government official rejected a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would prolong the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks indicate a wider incorrect perception of the circumstances of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a answer, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

An official, head of the plan, said the facility will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|