‘It’s heartbreaking’: the way 30 captive beluga whales are being used as bargaining chips in row over animal cruelty.

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an cute little “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a big but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a defunct facility, public officials and welfare campaigners.

But those working directly with the whales say the impassioned discussion over their fate often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in captivity, have been closely studied by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the federal government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to euthanize them unless the authorities covers the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that ultimatum, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and social skills indicate they are remarkably smart mammals – something Kristy Burgess observed first-hand.

She spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that required earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so astounded by the subtleties and quirks in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

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

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and move about with pieces in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but earlier stated: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and around the clock attention than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the facility in early March following the demise of Eos, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility thought information of the death were shared to the media and she was released shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “logistically impossible” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess supports calls for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official turned down a request to transfer the whales to China.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual existence in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As Canadians, we know that belugas are meant for the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would continue the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s remarks reveal a more general incorrect perception of the realities of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities work to find a resolution, ideas have emerged, some of which have minimal feasibility. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of food for Inuit communities.

A suggested protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which has received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The planned location, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, is not yet built. Advocates remain positive that it could in time represent a sustainable answer for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an trial” in the whales’ future.

Some experts say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the location will simulate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|