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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated debate over their future often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the authorities pays for the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent mammals – something a former trainer discovered personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a role that entailed gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so astounded by the nuances and quirks in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting personalities.

“Eve chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both changed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a inquiry, but previously asserted: “The whales … get far higher quality veterinary services and constant supervision than any human in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in the spring following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought particulars of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any attempts to put down even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She supports calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official denied a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments indicate a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas born in captivity.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a answer, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A planned protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a sustainable answer for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the idea of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will mimic the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|