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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the embattled attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to put them down unless the authorities covers the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

She spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing natures.

“Eve selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They altered the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a background of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but previously stated: “The whales … obtain far higher quality medical attention and around the clock supervision than any human in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to put down. She said the facility thought particulars of the incident 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 anguish. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and machinery.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing situation in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience permit an export that would prolong the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reveal a more general misunderstanding of the realities of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a solution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A suggested protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has been contentious. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary reflects a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the near future.

An official, director of the plan, said the location will simulate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|