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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the intense discussion over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that involved building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, 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 exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She formed a particular love for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“One whale chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both altered the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the facility links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but previously stated: “The whales … get far superior veterinary services and 24/7 supervision than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility thought particulars of the death were shared to the press and she was released soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and specialized tools.

“It’s impossible in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

She backs requests for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements reveal a more general incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” 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 answer, proposals have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has proven highly debated. The future facility, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term resolution for eight of the whales.

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

Others say the prospect of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

The project lead, head of the plan, said the site will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|