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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their future often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to end their lives unless the federal government funds the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and social skills indicate they are remarkably smart animals – something a former trainer observed personally.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

“One whale chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park links to expected lifespan, but which activists say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … obtain far higher quality medical attention and around the clock attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility thought particulars of the death were shared to the media and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official denied a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a ongoing situation in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that whales belong in the sea, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would prolong the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks indicate a wider lack of awareness of the circumstances of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has proven contentious. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the prospect of a refuge indicates a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable solution in the coming months.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will mimic the mental engagement and nutrition the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|