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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated debate over their future often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities prevented the export of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the government pays for the expense of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and social skills point to they are remarkably smart creatures – something one caretaker discovered directly.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a position that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so amazed by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

“One whale selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the park ascribes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she observed directly effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but previously claimed: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and constant attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park believed information of the incident were leaked to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s government official denied a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing approve an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a broader lack of awareness of the circumstances of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A planned sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The planned facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the idea of a protected habitat indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|