‘It’s heartbreaking’: the way 30 confined white whales are now bargaining chips in dispute over inhumane treatment.

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

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

But those closest to the whales say the intense debate over their future often ignores the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are kept warned to euthanize them unless the government funds the upkeep of their care. The nation’s fisheries minister has denied that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and social skills point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something a former trainer observed personally.

Burgess spent three years as a beluga trainer, a job that entailed earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

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

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

“Eve selected me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Each transformed the way I perceive bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a context of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her three years at the park, seven belugas and the park’s single orca, the orca, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a number which the park attributes to natural mortality, but which campaigners say reflects the poor conditions in which they were kept.

The facility did not operate to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she witnessed firsthand consequences of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they take pieces and move about with fragments in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The facility did not comment to a questionnaire, but in the past stated: “The whales … get far better veterinary services and constant supervision than any individual in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in recent months following the death of Eos, an unwell beluga the park staff had to euthanize. She said the park believed details of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and staff members in despair. She says the park’s warning to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any plans to put down even a one beluga would require “considerable manpower”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

She backs demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s government official denied a bid to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a continued situation in confinement and a return to display for amusement,” the official commented. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the sea, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an transfer that would perpetuate the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s comments indicate a wider misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The society 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 realize that it’s not as simple as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As decision makers work to find a resolution, proposals have emerged, some of which have little basis in reality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A suggested protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which recently received government approval, has proven highly debated. The planned site, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, is not yet built. Proponents remain positive that it could eventually represent a permanent answer for eight of the whales.

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

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a workable approach in the short term.

Charles Vinick, leader of the initiative, said the location will replicate the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales receive from trainers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|