‘It’s heartbreaking’: the way 30 captive white whales are being used as tools in dispute over animal welfare.

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an charming small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet 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 defunct facility, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned controversy over their fate often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the federal government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near the famous falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government funds the cost of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, cognitive challenges and group interactions suggest they are remarkably smart creatures – something one caretaker discovered first-hand.

She spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed building relationships of the marine predators.

“Developing those relationships over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of care. At the start, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so extraordinary and rewarding.”

The trainer knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the nuances and quirks in their dispositions. She formed a particular love for two female belugas with opposing temperaments.

“One whale selected me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales developed against a backdrop of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s single killer whale, Kiska, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since 2019, a toll which the park attributes to age-related causes, but which activists say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the guests over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly effects of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re degrading and not being maintained. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and swim around with chunks in their mouth. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far better medical attention and 24/7 supervision than any individual in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was fired from the facility in early March following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the facility believed details of the death were shared to the news outlets and she was fired soon after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left her and staff members in distress. She says the park’s threat to end the lives of its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any plans to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She supports requests for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its crumbling tanks and reduced personnel.

In recent months, Canada’s fisheries minister rejected a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As Canadians, we know that whales should be in the wild, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements indicate a more general misunderstanding of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a solution, ideas have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested sanctuary in the region of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has been highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of protected cove, is not yet built. Advocates remain positive that it could eventually represent a long term answer for a number of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s consulted, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ well-being.

Different voices say the prospect of a refuge reflects a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible solution in the short term.

The project lead, director of the sanctuary project, said the facility will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger area. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|