Closure of French marine park sparks outcry over future of its two orcas

CNN —

The closure of a marine zoo in the south of France has sparked intense debate over the future of its inhabitants, including two beloved orcas.

Marineland Antibes, near Cannes, closed for good on Sunday, with management citing legislation banning shows featuring cetaceans such as dolphins and whales, which the French government passed in 2021.

The law, which will come into effect in December 2026, also bans direct contact between visitors and cetaceans.

French lawmakers passed a ban on shows featuring whales and dolphins in 2021.

In a statement published December 4, Marineland said it was shutting its doors because 90% of visitors to the park come to watch the orca and dolphin shows.

It said it had taken the decision with “deep sadness,” and was working closely with French authorities to rehome the animals.

At present, though, it is unclear what will happen to the park’s two orcas – a 23-year-old female named Wikie and her son Keijo, 10 – as well as 12 dolphins.

Marineland initially planned to send Wikie and Keijo to a marine park in Japan. This plan met with uproar from animal rights groups, which said the move would be harmful to their wellbeing, citing the fact that Japan still practices whaling and does not have equivalent laws to European countries on the treatment of animals.

The French government then stepped in, publishing a report in which it said that the only acceptable options were to send the orcas to a new sanctuary in Nova Scotia, Canada, or to rehouse them at the Loro Parque marine park in Tenerife, which is part of the Spanish Canary Islands.

Moctezuma, the adult male of the pod is identified as one of the killer whales involved in the attack.

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