It is deeply saddening’: the way thirty confined white whales have become tools in dispute over animal cruelty.

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an charming small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a large but very loyal companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and animal rights activists.

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

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are housed stated it would consider to put them down unless the government pays for the upkeep of keeping them alive. The nation’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and social skills indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something Kristy Burgess learned directly.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that required building relationships of the sea creatures.

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

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a special affection for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting natures.

“One whale chose me. The other required effort,” she said. “They altered the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Burgess’s relationship with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In all, nineteen belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility attributes to natural mortality, but which advocates say points to the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The facility did not open to the visitors over the summer, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but previously claimed: “The whales … get far superior medical attention and constant attention than any person in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in early March following the passing of a beluga, an unwell beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility suspected information of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ future has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to euthanize even a single beluga would require “immense manpower”, vehicles and machinery.

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

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be removed right away from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s government official turned down a bid to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the application would have meant a ongoing life in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would prolong the situation these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements indicate a broader misunderstanding of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

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

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a answer, suggestions have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of food for Inuit communities.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has shown to be contentious. The future location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, is not yet built. Advocates remain optimistic that it could in time represent a sustainable answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the idea of a sanctuary reflects a broader global shift away from animal displays and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

The project lead, leader of the plan, said the site will simulate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get from trainers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|