Marineland, situated in France and regarded as the largest marine zoo across Europe, officially closed its doors this Sunday and is exploring methods to rehome 4,000 creatures, particularly two orcas, whose future is far more complex and may lead them to the Canary Islands.
A final performance occurred today, coinciding with the last day of the Christmas holidays, marking the end of over fifty years of operations at the park, which was inaugurated in 1970 and is nestled in the tourist coastal town of Antibes, on the Côte d’Azur.
The 2021 legislation banning cetacean performances by 2026, combined with a gradual decline in visitor numbers (which have dropped from 1.2 million annually to 425,000 in the last decade), compelled the management to shut down.
“The public’s perception of this type of animal entertainment… which is not natural, has evolved,” stated the Minister of Ecological Transition, Agnés Pannier-Runacher, in remarks made to the BFM channel today.
“It is a trend that is gaining traction internationally,” the minister added, noting that her department is collaborating with the park management to explore potential solutions for the two orcas, Wikie, 23, and her offspring Keijo, 11.
The possibility of releasing the two cetaceans into the wild was swiftly eliminated, as they were deemed unable to thrive independently in their natural habitat. Consequently, the park initially suggested relocating the orcas to a facility in Japan; however, the Ministry of Ecological Transition opposed this idea.
Pannier-Runacher defended this refusal today by highlighting the “fragile” condition of the orcas, asserting that moving them thousands of kilometres to Japan “would pose a considerable risk to their health.” Moreover, she emphasised that “Japanese parks do not adhere to the same standards as European parks” concerning cetacean welfare.
A spokesperson for the park informed the newspaper Le Parisian that the ministry proposed the idea of a marine park in Tenerife, while clarifying that “this is merely one option among others.”
The animal welfare group One Voice, actively involved in this situation, has suggested the concept of a natural sanctuary in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, although this facility is not yet operational.
When questioned regarding these suggestions, Pannier-Runacher refrained from providing a definitive answer, stating that it is Marineland that “must put forth proposals” to the ministry. Nonetheless, she underscored that “at present, there is no sanctuary worldwide that can accommodate two orcas.”
