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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a shuttered park, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to China, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government funds the upkeep of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

She spent several years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and quirks in their characters. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with different personalities.

“Eve chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They altered the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales evolved against a context of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but previously stated: “The whales … get far better health care and constant supervision than any person in the UK, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility suspected details of the death were disclosed to the media and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s warning to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, vehicles and machinery.

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

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

In recent months, the nation’s government official turned down a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual life in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that whales belong in the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an transfer that would continue the situation these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reveal a wider lack of awareness of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a solution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for local populations.

A suggested refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has been highly debated. The future site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the initiative, said the facility will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|