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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government covers the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a job that required building relationships of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“Eve selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the recent season, 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 grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and 24/7 supervision than any person in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in recent months following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park believed information of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was fired not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a single beluga would require “immense manpower”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals belong in the wild, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing authorize an relocation that would continue the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reflect a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for Inuit communities.

A planned protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been highly debated. The planned site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a permanent solution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the idea of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the short term.

An official, leader of the plan, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|