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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a shuttered park, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the intense discussion over their future often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the cost of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and social skills point to they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. 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 nevertheless surprised by the subtleties and unique traits in their characters. She cultivated a special affection for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“One whale accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Both altered the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far superior medical attention and around the clock supervision than any person in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

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

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a request to send the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a continued situation in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience approve an transfer that would prolong the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reveal a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A planned sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has proven most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the idea of a protected habitat represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the short term.

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