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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the intense discussion over their future often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities blocked the export of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are held warned to put them down unless the government covers the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that required gaining confidence of the sea creatures.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless astounded by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

“Eve selected me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “They transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their captivity.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The park did not operate to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but previously asserted: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and constant care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in early March following the demise of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park thought particulars of the incident were shared to the media and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, equipment and heavy equipment.

“It cannot happen in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

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

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

“To approve the request would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reflect a broader incorrect perception of the realities of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a answer, ideas have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has proven most controversial. The future site, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the possibility of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

Charles Vinick, leader of the initiative, said the site will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|