"In a sprawling aquarium complex in south-eastern France that once drew half a million visitors a year, only a few dozen people now move between pools that contain the last remaining marine mammals of Marineland Antibes. Weeds grow on walkways, the stands are empty and algae grows in the pools, giving the water a greenish hue. It is here that Wikie and Keijo, a mother and son pair of orcas, are floating."
"The park cannot wait any longer. The pools are in very poor condition this threatens the well-being and lives of the orcas Marineland Since 2021, when a French law was passed prohibiting keeping cetaceans in captivity, the question of what to do with Wikie and Keijo has been debated repeatedly. Now it is about to come to a head at a crunch meeting on Monday when the French government, animal welfare organisations and Marineland Antibes will come together to decide their fate."
"Marineland has long acknowledged that there is an urgent need to transfer the orcas. In a statement to the Guardian, it reiterates this: Marineland has been saying for some time that the park cannot wait any longer. The pools are in very poor condition, they are at the end of their useful life, and this directly threatens the wellbeing and lives of the orcas, it said."
Wikie and Keijo, a mother and son orca pair, remain in damaged pools at Marineland Antibes where algae and weeds indicate severe facility decline. The park closed in January 2025 and visitor numbers collapsed, leaving the orcas without shows and often logging at the surface. France passed a law in 2021 banning cetacean captivity, prompting long-running debate over relocation options. A meeting of the French government, animal welfare organisations and Marineland will decide the orcas' fate. Twelve bottlenose dolphins will remain temporarily at Marineland until a new facility at Beauval zoo is ready.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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