It is devastating’: the way 30 confined white whales are being used as pawns in conflict over animal cruelty.

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “constant motion” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet the beluga is the “loving presence” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canadian amusement park have become pawns in a disagreement between a closed attraction, government authorities and animal rights activists.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense discussion over their future often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in confinement, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government disallowed the export of the belugas to China, the controversial facility near Niagara Falls where they are kept stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the authorities funds the cost of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has refused that demand, placing the thirty whales in an ever more uncertain position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their mimicry abilities, problem solving and communal behavior suggest they are remarkably smart animals – something a former trainer observed directly.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a job that involved earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

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

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and unique traits in their personalities. She formed a particular love for a pair of whales with different temperaments.

“Eve selected me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Both changed the way I understand bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s connection with the whales evolved against a background of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her three years at the park, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In total, nineteen belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which activists say points to the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the visitors over the recent season, but Burgess says she witnessed firsthand results of the cessation. “Structural materials is falling apart from the pools because they’re in disrepair and not being maintained. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The park did not comment to a request for comment, but previously claimed: “The whales … get far better health care and constant care than any individual in the United Kingdom, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in the spring following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the facility believed particulars of the incident were disclosed to the news outlets and she was released not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and other caretakers in despair. She says the park’s threat to kill its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any attempts to humanely kill even a individual beluga would require “considerable manpower”, equipment and machinery.

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

Burgess backs requests for the whales to be transferred immediately from the facility, with its failing enclosures and shrinking team.

In late September, Canada’s fisheries minister denied a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“Granting the application would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a reversion to display for amusement,” the minister wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the ocean, not in pools for our enjoyment. I could not in good conscience permit an relocation that would prolong the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s remarks indicate a broader lack of awareness of the realities of life for belugas born in captivity.

“The public needs to grasp these are whales that have lived entirely in confinement and they will need constant supervision for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials struggle to find a solution, proposals have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of Canada’s north – where whales are a important part of nourishment for Indigenous peoples.

A planned protected area in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has proven highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes a large area of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Supporters remain optimistic that it could eventually represent a permanent resolution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s spoken with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “only an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat indicates a changing attitudes away from captive facilities and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the initiative, said the site will replicate the intellectual stimulation and nutrition the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the well-being of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|