It is heartbreaking’: how thirty captive beluga whales are now bargaining chips in row over animal cruelty.

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to end their lives unless the government funds the expense of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess observed directly.

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

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the outset, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and quirks in their characters. She developed a particular love for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“One whale chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both altered the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales developed against a background of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility links to age-related causes, but which advocates say reflects the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not operate to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and 24/7 supervision than any person in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the park in the spring following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park thought details of the death were shared to the media and she was released shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in despair. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any efforts to put down even a one beluga would require “considerable manpower”, trucks and heavy equipment.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be removed immediately from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In late September, the nation’s government official turned down a bid to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a return to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would continue the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reflect a wider misunderstanding of the realities of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The society needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials work to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has proven most controversial. The planned facility, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable answer for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an experiment” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge indicates a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable solution in the short term.

An official, head of the initiative, said the site will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|