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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who see them each day.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess discovered directly.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that required earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the outset, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the subtleties and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a special affection for a pair of whales with different personalities.

“Eve chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but previously asserted: “The whales … get far superior health care and constant attention than any human in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the park in recent months following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected information of the death were disclosed to the press and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “considerable personnel”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to send the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a reversion to performance for audiences,” the minister wrote. “As society, we know that whales belong in the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience authorize an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks indicate a wider lack of awareness of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has shown to be highly debated. The future facility, which includes a large area of protected cove, is not yet built. Supporters remain hopeful that it could in time represent a long term answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

The project lead, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will mimic the mental engagement and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|