‘It’s devastating’: how thirty confined white whales are being used as bargaining chips in conflict over animal welfare.

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an charming small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a gentle spirit.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based amusement park have been entangled in a tussle between a closed attraction, local and national governments and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the heated controversy over their fate often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in enclosed habitats, have been closely studied by the caretakers who work with them regularly.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to China, the struggling amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed threatened to put them down unless the federal government funds the cost of keeping them alive. The nation’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the 30 whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Experts say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are deeply intelligent animals – something one caretaker learned first-hand.

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

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very cautious of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain mutual trust. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nevertheless amazed by the subtleties and quirks in their characters. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting personalities.

“One whale chose me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand connection.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales evolved against a context of increasing societal concern to their enclosure.

During her three years at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, succumbed. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the park attributes to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the guests over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Structural materials is deteriorating from the pools because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and navigate with chunks in their mouth. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not respond to a inquiry, but in the past stated: “The whales … receive far higher quality health care and around the clock care than any human in the Britain, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the facility in early March following the death of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to humanely kill. She said the park thought particulars of the incident were leaked to the media and she was let go not long after.

The uncertainty over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “considerable staff”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

She backs calls for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official turned down a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the request would have meant a ongoing situation in captivity and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that marine mammals are meant for the sea, not in enclosures for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would continue the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments indicate a wider incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers work to find a resolution, ideas have been put forward, some of which have minimal feasibility. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A suggested protected area in the province of Nova Scotia, which now received government approval, has been most controversial. The planned facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a long term resolution for a number of the whales.

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

Others say the idea of a sanctuary represents a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the near future.

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