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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “playful character”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed warned to euthanize them unless the government covers the cost of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something one caretaker learned directly.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that entailed earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the outset, 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 extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“Eve selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and 24/7 supervision than any person in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in early March following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park thought particulars of the death were leaked to the press and she was released shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “significant personnel”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to export the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued existence in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing approve an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements reveal a wider lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a answer, proposals have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The future site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

Charles Vinick, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|