‘It’s deeply saddening’: the way 30 confined beluga whales have become tools in conflict over animal cruelty.

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a tussle between a defunct facility, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned debate over their destiny often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who see them each day.

After the national authorities disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to end their lives unless the federal government covers the expense of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and social skills indicate they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer discovered directly.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that involved earning the trust of the sea creatures.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of love. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for a pair of whales with different personalities.

“Eve chose me. Cleo demanded work,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park links to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The park did not open to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the shutdown. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a request for comment, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far superior veterinary services and around the clock supervision than any individual in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

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

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any attempts to put down even a one beluga would require “considerable manpower”, trucks and machinery.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a request to export the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that belugas are meant for the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments reflect a more general incorrect perception of the facts of existence 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 ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of northern regions – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has been highly debated. The planned facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a permanent answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among trainers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

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

An official, director of the sanctuary project, said the location will replicate the mental engagement and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|