It is heartbreaking’: the way 30 confined beluga whales are now pawns in conflict over animal cruelty.

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie is an cute small “playful character”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a large but fiercely protective companion. Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and sways like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a tussle between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the impassioned debate over their destiny often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the people who interact with them daily.

After the federal government disallowed the sale of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to end their lives unless the government pays for the expense of keeping them alive. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their vocal imitation skills, intellectual tasks and communal behavior indicate they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess discovered personally.

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

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

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was nonetheless amazed by the details and quirks in their personalities. She developed a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both transformed the way I perceive 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 tenure at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, Kiska, passed away. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the park links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say points to the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The park did not admit visitors to the visitors over the summer, but Burgess says she saw with her own eyes effects of the closure. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being fixed. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not comment to a questionnaire, but previously claimed: “The whales … obtain far superior health care and around the clock attention than any person in the UK, or elsewhere.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in early March following the passing of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility believed details of the incident were shared to the news outlets and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and current and former trainers in despair. She says the park’s warning to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “extremely difficult” task, adding any plans to euthanize even a one beluga would require “considerable personnel”, trucks and specialized tools.

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

Burgess backs calls for the whales to be removed right away from the park, with its crumbling tanks and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to export the whales to China.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing life in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister stated. “As society, we know that belugas should be in the ocean, not in tanks for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience approve an relocation that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s comments indicate a wider lack of awareness of the facts of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “People just don’t realize that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

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

A planned sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which has received government approval, has been highly debated. The prospective site, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among staff she’s spoken with, there is “doubts there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ future.

Different voices say the idea of a sanctuary indicates a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the near future.

The project lead, head of the sanctuary project, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger area. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|