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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart animals – something a former trainer observed personally.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that entailed building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the start, 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 magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She developed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting natures.

“Eve chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both transformed the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far higher quality medical attention and 24/7 attention than any person in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility believed information of the death were disclosed to the media and she was fired soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “significant staff”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

She supports calls for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s government official denied a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements indicate a wider misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities attempt to find a answer, proposals have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A suggested protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has proven contentious. The planned site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Supporters remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary reflects a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|