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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a struggle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense discussion over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities blocked 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 put them down unless the authorities funds the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess discovered directly.

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

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a special affection for a pair of whales with contrasting personalities.

“One whale chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each transformed the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but previously claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality medical attention and around the clock supervision than any human in the UK, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park suspected information of the incident were disclosed to the media and she was released soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a individual beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s government official turned down a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a perpetual situation in captivity and a return to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience approve an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements indicate a wider lack of awareness of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a solution, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for local populations.

A suggested refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has proven contentious. The prospective location, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the idea of a sanctuary represents a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable approach in the coming months.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|