‘It’s heartbreaking’: the way thirty captive beluga whales are now bargaining chips in conflict over animal welfare.

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a heart of gold.

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 discussion over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the Canadian government disallowed the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are held threatened to euthanize them unless the authorities funds the expense of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive creatures – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

She spent a significant period as a beluga trainer, a position that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with opposing natures.

“Eve chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Both changed the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a context of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, succumbed. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which advocates say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand effects of the closure. “Structural materials is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they take pieces and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but previously stated: “The whales … obtain far superior veterinary services and constant care than any human in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in the spring following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected particulars of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the park’s warning to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any plans to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant staff”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its deteriorating pools and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a proposal to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the wild, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks reflect a wider incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a resolution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has been contentious. The planned location, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible approach in the short term.

An official, leader of the plan, said the location will simulate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|