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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a disagreement between a closed attraction, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their fate often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the government funds the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart animals – something one caretaker discovered personally.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that involved gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both changed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility links to age-related causes, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far superior veterinary services and constant supervision than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in recent months following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park believed particulars of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any efforts to euthanize even a individual beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

“It cannot happen in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

She supports requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a continued existence in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reflect a broader lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a solution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has been highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|