‘It’s deeply saddening’: how 30 captive white whales are being used as pawns in dispute over animal cruelty.

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a big but guardian-like companion. Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canadian entertainment facility have been entangled in a tussle between a defunct facility, local and national governments and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their destiny often fails to consider the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the federal government covers the upkeep of their survival. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and social skills suggest they are deeply intelligent mammals – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required gaining confidence of the marine predators.

“Developing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with different personalities.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both changed the way I perceive bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Deteriorating Conditions

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

During her tenure at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a number which the park links to natural mortality, but which advocates say reflects the poor conditions in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re in disrepair and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with pieces in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but earlier claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and constant supervision than any human in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the facility in the spring following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to put down. She said the facility believed information of the incident were leaked to the press and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “significant personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess advocates for requests for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing life in confinement and a return to public entertainment,” the official stated. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience authorize an export that would prolong the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a more general misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society needs to grasp these are whales that have spent their whole lives in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the province of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has been contentious. The future location, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Different voices say the prospect of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

An official, leader of the plan, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|