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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to end their lives unless the government covers the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned personally.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a job that entailed building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She formed a particular love for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both transformed the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and around the clock attention than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected information of the death were leaked to the media and she was fired soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense manpower”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s government official rejected a bid to export the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments indicate a broader misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A planned refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has proven contentious. The planned facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable solution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the possibility of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|