Orka Wikie (24) and her son Keijo (11) have been virtually alone in Marineland in Antibes, southern France, for almost a year. The park closed its doors after a new ban on cetacean shows. For a year now, the orcas have been swimming through their algae-covered and worn-out tank, where they are only occasionally visited by a keeper. The situation is untenable, that much is clear, but where can two orcas that cannot survive in the wild go? The French government has that now found an answer: at sea, in a sanctuary off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada.
“It is good news,” Sanne Kuijpers of World Animal Protection said by email. This organization has been working hard for a year for the safe relocation of marine mammals. There was interest from parks in China, but the animals are still shown and bred there, which is not in line with European guidelines. Loro Parque, on Tenerife, was also found unsuitable. That park houses the ‘Dutch’ orca Morgan, who still had to participate in shows during her third pregnancy. In short, shelter in the marine reserve is the best solution. But not without snags.
For example, the Whale Sanctuary Project is not yet finished. The hope is that it can be put into use in the summer of 2026. The marine reserve will be 100 hectares in size. “150 times larger than the largest aquarium,” writes Kuijpers. “The coastal waters closely resemble their natural habitat, allowing them to exhibit more natural behavior.” Longer distance swimming and diving in an environment with high water quality and natural tides. It will not be possible for visitors to view the animals. The sanctuary is “focused on the welfare of the animals rather than entertainment or profit.”
But, Kuijpers says, the shelter is “not perfect and carries risks — there is no perfect solution for wild animals bred in captivity.” They have had a “miserable, frustrated life in captivity.” Kuijpers therefore calls it important to “emphasize that the animals will have behavioral problems and unclear health problems caused by a lifetime in inadequate tanks.”
They will only discover exactly how damaged the animals are once the animals have been transferred. The orcas will be transported by plane in container baths: this is a stressful undertaking for the animals. Yet this is “the best scenario,” says Kuijpers. In any case, it is clear that the animals have to leave France. At the beginning of this month, further arrests were made in the park, where intruders make videos with the dolphins and orcas.
Sexual satisfaction
The orcas are carefully monitored by animal rights organizations. Marketa Schusterova, co-founder of animal rights organization TideBreakers, discovered something shocking in August this year. On drone footage she saw Keijo being sexually satisfied by a caregiver. Marineland then left to BBC News know that this is necessary for the well-being of both orca son and orca mother, otherwise he would become aggressive. “Nonsense,” said Schusterova. “This is never done just like that, only if the semen is intended for a breeding program.” The export of orca sperm will be banned in France in 2026.
With the decision to move Wikie and Keijo to Canada, the French government is the first European government to focus on shelter at sea. The hope of animal welfare organizations is that more will follow and dolphinariums will disappear. The last generation of captive marine mammals remains in the sanctuaries until death until there are no more captive marine mammals. This sanctuary is not a solution for the twelve dolphins that are also present in Marineland. They are still looking for a new home.
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