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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a defunct facility, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future 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 work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills indicate they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

“One whale accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both changed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and 24/7 attention than any individual in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park suspected particulars of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a single beluga would require “immense manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an relocation that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reflect a broader lack of awareness of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities struggle to find a answer, ideas have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for local populations.

A planned refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The planned site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, director of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|