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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the expense of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer learned first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that involved earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing natures.

“Eve selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park links to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far superior medical attention and constant care than any human in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in early March following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility believed information of the incident were leaked to the media and she was released not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

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

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reveal a broader lack of awareness of the realities of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has been highly debated. The future site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

The project lead, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|