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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming little “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the intense discussion over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the authorities pays for the cost of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something a former trainer learned directly.

Burgess spent several years as a whale caretaker, a position that involved gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the subtleties and unique traits in their characters. She cultivated a special affection for a pair of whales with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I perceive connection.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her three years at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility links to age-related causes, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … get far superior health care and constant supervision than any human in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in the spring following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park believed information of the incident were disclosed to the press and she was let go soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the facility’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “logistically impossible” endeavor, adding any plans to put down even a one beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be removed promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s government official rejected a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a perpetual situation in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an relocation that would prolong the situation these belugas have suffered.”

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

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers attempt to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received government approval, has proven highly debated. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the prospect of a sanctuary reflects a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

The project lead, head of the plan, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|