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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and group interactions point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something one caretaker learned personally.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that required building relationships of the marine predators.

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

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a deep bond for a pair of whales with different natures.

“Eve chose me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and around the clock care than any individual in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought details of the death were disclosed to the media and she was released shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant manpower”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

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

In late September, Canada’s government official denied a bid to export the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As society, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reflect a more general incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be highly debated. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

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

Some experts say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

The project lead, leader of the initiative, said the location will mimic the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|