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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable little “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their destiny often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept threatened to euthanize them unless the government pays for the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are remarkably smart creatures – something one caretaker discovered personally.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so astounded by the nuances and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with different personalities.

“One whale selected me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They altered the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales progressed against a context of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the facility links to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand effects of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the pools because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and around the clock attention than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in the spring following the demise of Eos, an sick beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were shared to the media and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in anguish. She says the facility’s warning to kill its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any efforts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In recent months, Canada’s government official rejected a bid to send the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing permit an relocation that would continue the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements indicate a broader misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a resolution, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of food for local populations.

A suggested refuge in the province of Nova Scotia, which has received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The future location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the idea of a refuge reflects a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales get from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|