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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a tussle between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept warned to euthanize them unless the authorities funds the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something a former trainer learned first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that required earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “They transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her time at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier claimed: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and around the clock attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in recent months following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought information of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be taken immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s government official denied a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a ongoing situation in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the official stated. “As society, we know that whales belong in the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

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

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a answer, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for Inuit communities.

A proposed protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received regulatory clearance, has been highly debated. The planned location, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the prospect of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

An official, head of the plan, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|