‘It’s devastating’: how thirty captive beluga whales are being used as tools in dispute over inhumane treatment.

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an adorable small “playful character”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a shuttered park, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated debate over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been closely studied by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the authorities funds the expense of their survival. The nation’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ neuroanatomy, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and social skills point to they are deeply intelligent creatures – something Kristy Burgess observed personally.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a job that involved gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very cautious 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.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting personalities.

“One whale accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They changed the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

Her connection with the whales progressed against a context of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a statistic which the facility ascribes to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and navigate with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but earlier asserted: “The whales … obtain far higher quality health care and around the clock supervision than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in recent months following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to humanely kill. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were leaked to the media and she was released shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “practically unfeasible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “immense manpower”, trucks and specialized tools.

“It’s impossible in hell the staff would ever do it,” she said.

She supports calls for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s government official rejected a bid to send the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the sea, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience approve an transfer that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks reflect a more general misunderstanding of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need human care for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials struggle to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received official endorsement, has proven highly debated. The future location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could ultimately represent a sustainable answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat represents a worldwide trend away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the near future.

An official, leader of the initiative, said the facility will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|