It is deeply saddening’: the way 30 captive white whales are being used as tools in conflict over inhumane treatment.

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “ham sandwich”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but very loyal companion. Zephyr has “constant motion” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive beluga whales in a Canada-based amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a shuttered park, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those most familiar with the whales say the impassioned controversy over their destiny often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been carefully observed by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government blocked the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled attraction near the famous falls where they are housed stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the federal government covers the cost of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has denied that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are highly cognitive animals – something one caretaker observed personally.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a job that required building relationships of the aquatic animals.

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

The trainer knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless astounded by the details and unique traits in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both changed the way I view relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park links to expected lifespan, but which advocates say indicates the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the shutdown. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and swim around with pieces in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … receive far superior health care and constant care than any human in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in recent months following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility believed information of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was fired soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ outcome has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

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

In late September, the nation’s government official turned down a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official stated. “As society, we know that belugas belong in the ocean, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reveal a more general lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a solution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a key source of food for local populations.

A planned refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which now received regulatory clearance, has proven contentious. The future location, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain hopeful that it could in time represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

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

Others say the idea of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable solution in the short term.

An official, director of the plan, said the site will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a more expansive space. He said after the health of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|