It is devastating’: how thirty captive beluga whales are being used as pawns in row over animal welfare.

The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “ham sandwich”. Orion – called “Onion Ring” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “endless energy” and sways like a worm. Lillooet is the “most affectionate” with a kind nature.

Thirty captive marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been caught in a disagreement between a closed attraction, government authorities and welfare campaigners.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their future often fails to consider the individual traits of the whales who, after living their entire lives in enclosed habitats, have been thoroughly researched by the people who interact with them daily.

After the national authorities blocked the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the struggling facility near the famous falls where they are kept warned to euthanize them unless the federal government pays for the upkeep of their survival. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that demand, placing the 30 whales in an ever more uncertain situation.

Intelligent Sea Creatures

Experts say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their mimicry abilities, intellectual tasks and group interactions indicate they are deeply intelligent animals – something a former trainer observed first-hand.

Burgess spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a position that entailed building relationships of the aquatic animals.

“Building up those relationships over time takes a lot of regularity and a lot of affection. At the beginning, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “Eventually, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more trusting with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were exceptionally cognitive, but she says she was even so astounded by the details and idiosyncrasies in their characters. She formed a deep bond for two female belugas with contrasting natures.

“One whale accepted me. Cleo required effort,” she said. “Both transformed the way I perceive relationships.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Burgess’s interaction with the whales evolved against a backdrop of increasing societal concern to their confinement.

During her tenure at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In total, 19 belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the facility links to age-related causes, but which advocates say reflects the substandard environment in which they were kept.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes consequences of the closure. “Concrete is falling apart from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they grab fragments and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The facility did not reply to a request for comment, but in the past asserted: “The whales … obtain far better veterinary services and 24/7 care than any human in the United Kingdom, or elsewhere.”

Fate in Limbo and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was fired from the park in early March following the demise of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to euthanize. She said the park suspected details of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired shortly thereafter.

The uncertainty over the whales’ fate has left Burgess and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s ultimatum to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any plans to put down even a one beluga would require “considerable personnel”, vehicles and specialized tools.

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

She advocates for requests for the whales to be transferred immediately from the park, with its failing enclosures and dwindling staff.

In the autumn, the nation’s fisheries minister turned down a request to transfer the whales to China.

“Granting the application would have meant a perpetual life in confinement and a reversion to public entertainment,” the official commented. “As society, we know that marine mammals belong in the sea, not in pools for our amusement. I could not in clear conscience approve an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But the former trainer said the minister’s statements indicate a wider misunderstanding of the realities of life for belugas raised in confinement.

“The people needs to grasp these are whales that have existed solely in enclosed habitats and they will need human care for the remainder of their lives,” she said. “The public just don’t realize that it’s not as straightforward as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Ongoing Debate

As authorities work to find a solution, proposals have been put forward, some of which have questionable practicality. An idea called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a important part of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested refuge in the region of Nova Scotia, which recently received government approval, has proven highly debated. The future site, which includes extensive space of penned in ocean, remains undeveloped. Supporters remain optimistic that it could in time represent a long term resolution for eight of the whales.

But, the former trainer says, among caretakers she’s consulted, there is “no trust there” about what she said is “merely an untested concept” in the whales’ fate.

Some experts say the possibility of a refuge represents a worldwide trend away from animal displays and could represent a workable approach in the near future.

An official, head of the plan, said the facility will replicate the cognitive activities and diet the whales get from caretakers, albeit in a significantly bigger space. He said after the medical condition of whales is thoroughly evaluated, which could take months|an extended period|