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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to euthanize them unless the government pays for the cost of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a position that required gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for a pair of whales with different personalities.

“One whale chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales developed 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 died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which advocates say indicates the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past stated: “The whales … obtain far superior veterinary services and around the clock attention than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in recent months following the demise of Eos, an sick beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility believed particulars of the death were disclosed to the media and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense manpower”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reflect a wider incorrect perception of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. 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 proposed protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received government approval, has been highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Others say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|