‘It’s devastating’: the way thirty confined beluga whales have become tools in dispute over inhumane treatment.

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a large but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a defunct facility, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the heated discussion over their destiny often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the people who see them each day.

After the federal government disallowed the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government funds the upkeep of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive mammals – something one caretaker learned personally.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the nuances and unique traits in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with opposing natures.

“Eve chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “They changed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their captivity.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park links to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the cessation. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far better health care and constant supervision than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was fired from the facility in early March following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the park suspected details of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was fired not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “significant personnel”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a request to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in tanks for our entertainment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments reveal a wider incorrect perception of the circumstances of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “The public just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a solution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has been contentious. The prospective site, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term answer for eight of the whales.

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

Some experts say the prospect of a refuge reflects a changing attitudes away from animal displays and could represent a viable plan in the short term.

The project lead, leader of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|