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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals 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 intense controversy over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been carefully observed by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government covers the upkeep of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

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

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing natures.

“One whale selected me. The other required effort,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far superior veterinary services and 24/7 care than any individual in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the facility believed details of the incident were shared to the press and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience authorize an transfer that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments indicate a wider lack of awareness of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be most controversial. The planned facility, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

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

Some experts say the prospect of a protected habitat indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

An official, head of the plan, said the location will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|