‘It’s deeply saddening’: the way 30 captive beluga whales are being used as tools in conflict over animal welfare.

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an adorable small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the heated discussion over their destiny often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are held warned to put them down unless the federal government covers the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and social skills point to they are remarkably smart creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned first-hand.

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

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the details and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with contrasting personalities.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her time at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the shutdown. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but earlier claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality medical attention and constant attention than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought particulars of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “considerable staff”, vehicles and machinery.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be taken right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official rejected a proposal to export the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued life in captivity and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals belong in the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an relocation that would prolong the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reveal a more general misunderstanding of the facts of life for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has shown to be most controversial. The future facility, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable resolution for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the possibility of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a workable approach in the coming months.

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will mimic the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|