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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

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

But those working directly with the whales say the intense debate over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the people who work with them regularly.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the government funds the cost of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something a former trainer learned personally.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a role that required earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for two female belugas with different natures.

“Eve chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They altered the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but previously claimed: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and around the clock attention than any person in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility believed particulars of the death were leaked to the press and she was fired not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to euthanize even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to send the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a continued situation in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements reveal a broader lack of awareness of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a resolution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be highly debated. The future site, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Supporters remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for eight of the whales.

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

Others say the prospect of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a workable solution in the near future.

The project lead, director of the initiative, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales get from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|