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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense discussion over their future often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the national authorities disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the cost of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are remarkably smart mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned personally.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that required gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the outset, 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 wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and unique traits in their dispositions. She cultivated a special affection for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“One whale chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales progressed against a context of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which advocates say points to the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far superior veterinary services and 24/7 attention than any person in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in recent months following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park suspected information of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

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

In recent months, the nation’s government official turned down a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As Canadians, we know that whales are meant for the wild, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks reveal a broader misunderstanding of the facts of life for belugas born in captivity.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for Inuit communities.

A suggested protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received government approval, has been contentious. The planned location, which includes a large area of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

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

Charles Vinick, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|