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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the government pays for the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their characters. She formed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with different temperaments.

“One whale selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “They altered the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a background of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the park links to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and swim around with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … get far better medical attention and constant attention than any human in the Britain, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in recent months following the death of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were leaked to the press and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any plans to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

“It’s impossible in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s government official denied a request to send the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that belugas should be in the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an transfer that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements indicate a broader lack of awareness of the realities of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A suggested refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has proven contentious. The prospective location, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable answer for some of the whales.

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

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a feasible solution in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will mimic the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|