It is deeply saddening’: how 30 captive white whales are being used as bargaining chips in conflict over animal cruelty.

Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming little “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have become pawns in a tussle between a defunct facility, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their future often overlooks the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the transfer of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to end their lives unless the authorities funds the cost of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that beluga whales’ brain structure, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and communal behavior point to they are deeply intelligent animals – something one caretaker observed directly.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that involved building relationships of the marine predators.

“Building up those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “In time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

“Eve selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each altered the way I view bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

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

During her time at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the facility ascribes to age-related causes, but which campaigners say indicates the inadequate care in which they were housed.

The park did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they pick it up and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but earlier asserted: “The whales … receive far better veterinary services and constant care than any person in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in early March following the death of a beluga, an unwell beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park believed details of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released shortly thereafter.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to euthanize its whales is a leverage tool and is a “practically unfeasible” endeavor, adding any plans to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “immense personnel”, trucks and machinery.

“There’s no way in hell the caretakers would ever do it,” she said.

She advocates for requests for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In recent months, the nation’s government official rejected a bid to export the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the request would have meant a ongoing life in confinement and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister commented. “As society, we know that whales should be in the ocean, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in ethical standing authorize an export that would prolong the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments reveal a wider incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in captivity and they will need constant supervision for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a resolution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed sanctuary in the province of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has shown to be contentious. The prospective site, which includes a large area of protected cove, is not yet built. Proponents remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent solution for some of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “only an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the prospect of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

An official, head of the plan, said the site will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|