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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense discussion over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to put them down unless the government covers the upkeep of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and group interactions point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that involved earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She formed a special affection for a pair of whales with different personalities.

“One whale chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a context of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her time at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far superior veterinary services and around the clock care than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the park thought particulars of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and machinery.

“There’s no way in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official turned down a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a ongoing situation in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s remarks reveal a more general lack of awareness of the facts of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The prospective location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

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

Others say the idea of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

An official, head of the plan, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|