‘It’s heartbreaking’: the way 30 confined beluga whales have become bargaining chips in dispute over animal cruelty.

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “sweetheart”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, local and national governments and advocacy groups.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been carefully observed by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the federal government pays for the expense of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and social skills suggest they are remarkably smart animals – something a former trainer observed directly.

Burgess spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed gaining confidence of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so magical and gratifying.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with different natures.

“Eve accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They changed the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales progressed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility links to age-related causes, but which campaigners say indicates the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and constant attention than any person in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in the spring following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected information of the death were disclosed to the press and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the park’s warning to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for calls for the whales to be taken immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

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

“To approve the request would have meant a perpetual situation in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience authorize an export that would prolong the situation these belugas have endured.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reveal a wider lack of awareness of the facts of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a solution, suggestions have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of food for Inuit communities.

A planned refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a permanent resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Others say the idea of a refuge indicates a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a feasible approach in the near future.

An official, leader of the sanctuary project, said the site will mimic the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the well-being of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|