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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a closed attraction, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the humans who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial attraction near the famous falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something a former trainer observed personally.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both changed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales evolved against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and swim around with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality veterinary services and 24/7 supervision than any person in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park suspected details of the incident were shared to the media and she was released shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a continued life in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing approve an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reflect a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers attempt to find a solution, proposals have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of food for Inuit communities.

A planned sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has been most controversial. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

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

Some experts say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible solution in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the plan, said the facility will mimic the cognitive activities and feeding regimen the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|