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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the federal government covers the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions point to they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered personally.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that involved earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so surprised by the details and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with different natures.

“Eve chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each transformed the way I perceive connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say points to the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously claimed: “The whales … obtain far higher quality veterinary services and constant attention than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected information of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the park’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

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

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing situation in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the sea, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an transfer that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reflect a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a solution, ideas have surfaced, 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 sustenance for local populations.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The future facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

An official, head of the initiative, said the site will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|