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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to put them down unless the authorities covers the cost of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something a former trainer learned first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that involved gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She developed a particular love for a pair of whales with contrasting temperaments.

“Eve selected me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I understand relationships.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park links to natural mortality, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier stated: “The whales … obtain far superior medical attention and around the clock care than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in recent months following the passing of a beluga, an sick beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park suspected details of the death were leaked to the media and she was released shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s government official denied a proposal to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a continued life in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would continue the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reflect a wider incorrect perception of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a answer, proposals have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for local populations.

A proposed sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has proven highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent solution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the possibility of a refuge represents a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a viable approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|