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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their destiny often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the federal government funds the cost of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something one caretaker observed directly.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a role that required gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

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

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“One whale selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the cessation. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far superior medical attention and 24/7 care than any individual in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in recent months following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park believed information of the death were disclosed to the press and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, vehicles and specialized tools.

“It’s impossible in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be transferred promptly from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the wild, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks indicate a wider misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a answer, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for Inuit communities.

A planned sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has proven contentious. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

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

Others say the idea of a protected habitat represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

Charles Vinick, leader of the plan, said the facility will replicate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|