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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. The whale 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 heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their destiny often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to put them down unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions point to they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a job that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“One whale chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales progressed against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but previously stated: “The whales … obtain far better health care and around the clock care than any individual in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in early March following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park suspected details of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any plans to put down even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to export 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 the public, we know that belugas are meant for the wild, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an transfer that would prolong the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements indicate a more general incorrect perception of the facts of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A planned sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

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

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

An official, head of the plan, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|