It is heartbreaking’: how 30 confined beluga whales have become pawns in conflict over animal welfare.

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an adorable small “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a big but very loyal friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been caught in a struggle between a closed attraction, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the intense discussion over their destiny often fails to consider the nuances of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the humans who work with them regularly.

After the Canadian government prevented the export of the belugas to China, the controversial amusement park near the famous falls where they are housed threatened to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the expense of their survival. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and group interactions suggest they are highly cognitive mammals – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a beluga trainer, a position that required building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Establishing those connections over time takes a lot of dedication and a lot of affection. At the start, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Over time, you gain shared confidence. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was even so amazed by the nuances and quirks in their dispositions. She cultivated a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing temperaments.

“Eve accepted me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “Each changed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Deteriorating Conditions

Her interaction with the whales evolved against a backdrop of growing public opposition to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the park, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In all, 19 belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a statistic which the park ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say indicates the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not open to the guests over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand effects of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the pools because they’re falling apart and not being maintained. The whales are inquisitive and so they grab fragments and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a request for comment, but in the past claimed: “The whales … receive far superior health care and constant attention than any person in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Fate in Limbo and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was dismissed from the park in recent months following the passing of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility thought information of the incident were leaked to the media and she was fired not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the park’s threat to euthanize its whales is a negotiation tactic and is a “practically unfeasible” undertaking, adding any efforts to humanely kill even a one beluga would require “immense manpower”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She backs requests for the whales to be taken promptly from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In recent months, Canada’s government official denied a bid to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a continued existence in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the official wrote. “As society, we know that marine mammals should be in the wild, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an transfer that would continue the conditions these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the official’s comments indicate a broader incorrect perception of the circumstances of existence for belugas raised in confinement.

“The society needs to understand these are whales that have lived entirely in captivity and they will need ongoing assistance for the rest of their years,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘close it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As officials work to find a answer, suggestions have emerged, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the wilds of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of food for Indigenous peoples.

A proposed refuge in the region of eastern Canada, which now received regulatory clearance, has been most controversial. The prospective location, which includes a large area of enclosed sea water, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could in time represent a permanent solution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among trainers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the prospect of a sanctuary reflects a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the near future.

Charles Vinick, leader of the sanctuary project, said the facility will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales get from specialists, albeit in a much larger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|