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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense debate over their future often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to end their lives unless the government funds the expense of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something one caretaker discovered personally.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a role that required building relationships of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She formed a special affection for a pair of whales with opposing personalities.

“One whale selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a context of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far superior health care and around the clock care than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in the spring following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park believed particulars of the incident were shared to the press and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s government official turned down a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that whales should be in the ocean, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reflect a more general misunderstanding of the realities of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely 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 ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a solution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A proposed protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has shown to be contentious. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a workable solution in the short term.

The project lead, head of the initiative, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|