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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their future often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to put them down unless the government funds the expense of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer discovered directly.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a role that involved earning the trust of the marine predators.

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

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She formed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting natures.

“Eve chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They changed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but previously claimed: “The whales … get far better health care and constant supervision than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in recent months following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park thought particulars of the incident were leaked to the press and she was fired soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum 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 one beluga would require “immense personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

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

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a bid to export the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the ocean, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing permit an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments indicate a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to understand 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 straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has proven highly debated. The prospective location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

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

Some experts say the idea of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

The project lead, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|