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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a defunct facility, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the people who work with them regularly.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to put them down unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions point to they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker discovered directly.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with different natures.

“One whale selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I view connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say points to the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and 24/7 supervision than any person in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility suspected details of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing situation in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would continue the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reflect a more general incorrect perception of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a answer, proposals have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has shown to be highly debated. The future facility, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a sustainable answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the prospect of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable solution in the coming months.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|