It is deeply saddening’: the way 30 confined beluga whales are being used as bargaining chips in row over animal cruelty.

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable little “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the intense controversy over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are kept warned to end their lives unless the federal government covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills suggest they are highly cognitive creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a job that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and unique traits in their characters. She developed a special affection for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“One whale selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both transformed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her connection with the whales developed against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the shutdown. “Concrete is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but earlier stated: “The whales … get far superior medical attention and 24/7 care than any human in the UK, or other places.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in recent months following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park believed details of the incident were shared to the press and she was let go shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “immense staff”, equipment and machinery.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In recent months, the nation’s government official turned down a proposal to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience permit an relocation that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reveal a more general lack of awareness of the circumstances of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As authorities struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received official endorsement, has been highly debated. The planned location, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ future.

Others say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|