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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the federal government covers the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior point to they are deeply intelligent animals – something one caretaker learned personally.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a role that involved building relationships of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with contrasting natures.

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

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a background of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the park links to age-related causes, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and 24/7 care than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the park in early March following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park believed particulars of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the park’s warning to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense staff”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

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

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing life in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As society, 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 treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements indicate a wider misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has proven highly debated. The prospective site, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Supporters remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the idea of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a viable approach in the coming months.

An official, director of the plan, said the facility will replicate the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|