‘It’s devastating’: the way 30 captive beluga whales are being used as pawns in dispute over animal welfare.

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie Botts is an adorable little “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a heart of gold.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a struggle between a closed attraction, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their destiny often ignores the nuances of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who interact with them daily.

After the federal government blocked the export of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling attraction near the famous falls where they are kept threatened to put them down unless the government covers the upkeep of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Experts say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and communal behavior point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something a former trainer learned first-hand.

Burgess spent three years as a whale caretaker, a job that involved earning the trust of the marine predators.

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

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so amazed by the details and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She formed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales progressed against a background of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her time at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, the orca, died. In total, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a toll which the facility attributes to expected lifespan, but which advocates say reflects the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not open to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the cessation. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and swim around with fragments in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not reply to a inquiry, but in the past claimed: “The whales … get far better health care and constant attention than any individual in the Britain, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in early March following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the facility thought information of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired soon after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in distress. She says the facility’s warning to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a single beluga would require “considerable manpower”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She supports demands for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its crumbling tanks and shrinking team.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister rejected a proposal to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a ongoing existence in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals are meant for the ocean, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience permit an transfer that would perpetuate the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments reveal a broader lack of awareness of the facts of living conditions for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need constant supervision for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “People just don’t comprehend that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘end operations’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As decision makers struggle to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be released into the open waters of the Arctic – where whales are a primary resource of nourishment for local populations.

A proposed protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which now received official endorsement, has shown to be most controversial. The future location, which includes extensive space of enclosed sea water, is not yet built. Supporters remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a long term solution for some of the whales.

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

Some experts say the prospect of a protected habitat represents a changing attitudes away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable approach in the near future.

An official, leader of the plan, said the location will mimic the mental engagement and feeding regimen the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a more expansive environment. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|