‘It’s heartbreaking’: the way thirty confined beluga whales are now pawns in row over animal cruelty.

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming little “playful character”. Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed beluga whales in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a disagreement between a shuttered park, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense discussion over their fate often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after living their entire lives in confinement, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the national authorities prevented the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are held stated it would consider to put them down unless the authorities pays for the cost of their care. The nation’s marine resources official has rejected that request, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain circumstance.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, cognitive challenges and group interactions indicate they are highly cognitive creatures – something Kristy Burgess discovered first-hand.

She spent several years as a beluga trainer, a role that entailed gaining confidence of the marine predators.

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

The trainer knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the subtleties and idiosyncrasies in their personalities. She cultivated a particular love for two female belugas with contrasting personalities.

“Eve selected me. The other made me earn it,” she said. “They transformed the way I view bonding.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales developed against a context of growing public opposition to their captivity.

During her time at the attraction, multiple belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, died. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since 2019, a toll which the facility links to natural mortality, but which campaigners say indicates the poor conditions in which they were maintained.

The facility did not operate to the public over the summer, but the former trainer says she observed directly results of the shutdown. “Structural materials is breaking off from the tanks because they’re in disrepair and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they pick it up and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s heartbreaking to see.”

The park did not respond to a questionnaire, but previously claimed: “The whales … get far higher quality medical attention and around the clock care than any person in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was fired from the park in early March following the passing of Eos, an unwell beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the park believed information of the death were leaked to the news outlets and she was released soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ future has left Burgess and staff members in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to end the lives of its whales is a leverage tool and is a “extremely difficult” endeavor, adding any attempts to put down even a individual beluga would require “significant personnel”, equipment and heavy equipment.

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

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

In the autumn, the nation’s government official turned down a proposal to send the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the application would have meant a perpetual existence in captivity and a return to performance for audiences,” the official wrote. “As the public, we know that belugas belong in the wild, not in enclosures for our enjoyment. I could not in clear conscience authorize an transfer that would prolong the treatment these belugas have endured.”

But the former trainer said the official’s remarks indicate a more general misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas born in captivity.

“The people needs to understand these are whales that have spent their whole lives in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the rest of their years,” she said. “People just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘end operations’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of food for Indigenous peoples.

A planned sanctuary in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received official endorsement, has proven highly debated. The planned facility, which includes 100 acres of penned in ocean, doesn’t yet exist. Advocates remain positive that it could in time represent a sustainable solution for eight of the whales.

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

Others say the prospect of a refuge indicates a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the coming months.

An official, head of the initiative, said the site will mimic the intellectual stimulation and feeding regimen the whales receive from specialists, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the medical condition of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|