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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a defunct facility, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something a former trainer learned personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a position that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … get far superior veterinary services and constant attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in early March following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility believed information of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s government official rejected a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a continued situation in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience permit an relocation that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reflect a wider lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A planned sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received regulatory clearance, has proven contentious. The future facility, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain positive that it could ultimately represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

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

Others say the idea of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a feasible plan in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the plan, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|