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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their fate often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been closely studied by the people who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and group interactions point to they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and quirks in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with different personalities.

“Eve selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far superior medical attention and constant care than any person in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility believed information of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and machinery.

“There’s no way in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In recent months, the nation’s government official rejected a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a continued situation in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that whales are meant for the sea, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a wider misunderstanding of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven highly debated. The future location, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a permanent solution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the idea of a refuge indicates a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the initiative, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|