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Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned discussion over their future often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the national authorities prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the embattled facility near the famous falls where they are housed warned to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the cost of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a marine mammal specialist, a role that entailed earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so amazed by the nuances and unique traits in their characters. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing natures.

“One whale selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I perceive connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the park in recent months following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected particulars of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was fired soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a request to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the application would have meant a continued life in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals are meant for the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience approve an export that would prolong the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s statements reveal a more general incorrect perception of the facts of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The planned facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the possibility of a refuge represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|