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

Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “sweetheart”. Orion – nicknamed “Onion Ring” – is a large but guardian-like friend. Zephyr has “endless energy” and wiggles like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian amusement park have been entangled in a struggle between a shuttered park, public officials and animal rights activists.

But those closest to the whales say the intense controversy over their destiny often ignores the complexities of the whales who, after growing up in captivity, have been closely studied by the caretakers who see them each day.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held stated it would consider to euthanize them unless the government funds the expense of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Marine Mammals

Researchers say that belugas’ brain structure, along with their vocal imitation skills, problem solving and communal behavior indicate they are remarkably smart mammals – something one caretaker observed first-hand.

Burgess spent several years as a marine mammal specialist, a position that entailed building relationships of the marine predators.

“Establishing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency 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 vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and gratifying.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was nonetheless surprised by the nuances and quirks in their dispositions. She developed a deep bond for a pair of whales with contrasting temperaments.

“One whale accepted me. The other required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I view relationships.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a context of rising activist criticism to their enclosure.

During her tenure at the facility, seven belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility links to expected lifespan, but which campaigners say indicates the inadequate care in which they were maintained.

The park did not operate to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re degrading and not being repaired. The whales are curious and so they grab fragments and navigate with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not reply to a questionnaire, but previously stated: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and around the clock attention than any human in the UK, or anywhere else.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

Burgess was terminated from the park in early March following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the park staff had to put down. She said the park thought details of the death were disclosed to the news outlets and she was fired soon after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and current and former trainers in distress. She says the park’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to euthanize even a one beluga would require “immense manpower”, vehicles and heavy equipment.

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

She advocates for demands for the whales to be taken immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and reduced personnel.

In late September, the nation’s fisheries minister denied a bid to send the whales to China.

“Allowing the proposal would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a return to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that marine mammals should be in the sea, not in tanks for our amusement. I could not in good conscience permit an export that would continue the situation these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the official’s comments indicate a more general misunderstanding of the realities of living conditions for belugas born in captivity.

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

Alternative Habitat and Ongoing Debate

As officials attempt to find a resolution, ideas have surfaced, some of which have questionable practicality. A suggested plan called for the belugas to be released into the wilds of Canada’s north – where whales are a primary resource of sustenance for Inuit communities.

A proposed refuge in the province of eastern Canada, which now received government approval, has shown to be most controversial. The prospective location, which includes 100 acres of protected cove, is not yet built. Advocates remain positive that it could ultimately represent a long term 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.

Some experts say the idea of a refuge represents a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a viable solution in the coming months.

Charles Vinick, leader of the initiative, said the site will replicate the cognitive activities and nutrition the whales obtain from specialists, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the health of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|