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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the upkeep of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills point to they are highly cognitive creatures – something one caretaker discovered directly.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that required earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

“One whale accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both changed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales progressed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were kept.

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

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but previously claimed: “The whales … receive far superior health care and 24/7 care than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the park in recent months following the demise of Eos, an sick beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought information of the incident were leaked to the media and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a single beluga would require “significant staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s government official rejected a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a continued life in enclosure and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments indicate a more general incorrect perception of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of food for Inuit communities.

A suggested protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has proven most controversial. The future facility, which includes extensive space of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a sustainable answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the idea of a protected habitat represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, director of the plan, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|