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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their destiny often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to end their lives unless the authorities funds the upkeep of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer observed directly.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a role that involved gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her time at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about 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 … get far better medical attention and constant care than any person in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in recent months following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility believed particulars of the death were leaked to the press and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a one beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals should be in the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an transfer that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reveal a broader lack of awareness of the realities of life 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 human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a solution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of sustenance for local populations.

A suggested refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has proven contentious. The planned facility, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the possibility of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the coming months.

An official, leader of the plan, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|