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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their destiny often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

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

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that entailed gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She formed a special affection for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales developed against a context of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her tenure at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which advocates 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 witnessed firsthand results of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality medical attention and constant care than any person in the UK, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an sick beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park thought details of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a one beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and machinery.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be transferred right away from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a bid to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a continued life in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that whales are meant for the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing authorize an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements indicate a wider misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of sustenance for local populations.

A suggested refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has been contentious. The future location, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the possibility of a sanctuary represents a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the mental engagement and diet the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|