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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a disagreement between a shuttered park, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated debate over their future often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a position that required earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those relationships 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 mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so surprised by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a special affection for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“Eve chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility links to age-related causes, but which campaigners say indicates the inadequate care in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and move about with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not comment to a inquiry, but earlier claimed: “The whales … obtain far better health care and constant supervision than any human in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in recent months following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park believed information of the death were shared to the press and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “significant staff”, equipment and specialized tools.

“There’s no way in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s government official turned down a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a continued existence in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As the public, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks reveal a wider incorrect perception of the realities of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a answer, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The future site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

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

Different voices say the idea of a protected habitat indicates a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the near future.

The project lead, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will mimic the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|