It is heartbreaking’: the way thirty captive beluga whales are being used as tools in dispute over animal cruelty.

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an cute small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have become pawns in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their future often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept warned to put them down unless the federal government covers the cost of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an increasingly precarious position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, problem solving and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker discovered directly.

She spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Establishing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the subtleties and unique traits in their characters. She developed a special affection for two female belugas with different temperaments.

“One whale chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her relationship with the whales developed against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a number which the park ascribes to expected lifespan, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a questionnaire, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far superior medical attention and constant care than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the death of a beluga, an sick beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park believed details of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “significant manpower”, equipment and specialized tools.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In late September, Canada’s government official rejected a proposal to export the whales to China.

“Granting the proposal would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that whales are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience authorize an export that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reflect a more general misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a answer, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the open waters of northern regions – where whales are a important part of food for Inuit communities.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has been contentious. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the prospect of a sanctuary indicates a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the near future.

An official, head of the sanctuary project, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales obtain 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|