France’s last two captive orcas, still being kept at a recently closed facility, are now facing the prospect of being moved to a Canary Islands zoo accused by campaigners of having a poor record on killer whale welfare and mortality.
Wikie and her surviving son Keijp currently remain at Marineland Antibes in the south of France. The facility finally closed in December in accordance with a law passed in 2021 prohibiting the holding and display of captive whales and dolphins in France.
The animals have lived their lives in tanks at the dolphinarium, which had initially hoped to sell them to Japan’s Kobe Suma Sea World, it is thought to be separated and used for breeding. The French government took advice from campaigners such as Dolphinaria-Free Europe (DFE) to block this transfer.
DFE has been lobbying the government to allow the orcas to be transferred to a more natural environment at a Whale Sanctuary Project seaside sanctuary in Canada, but its requests have now been formally rejected. It fears that the orcas are instead bound for Loro Parque Zoo (LPZ), Tenerife in the Canary Islands – which it also holds in low esteem.
Dolphinaria-Free Europe is an international coalition of marine-mammal scientists, animal-welfare experts, conservationists, NGOs, individual members and advisors dedicated to ending cetacean captivity in Europe.
Margaux Dodds, DFE's chair and also director of the Marine Connection, says she wants to find out why the French government is making what she calls a hasty decision, given that the legal deadline to move the orcas falls only in December 2026.
Poor husbandry record
Loro Parque Zoo has what Dodds says is a “poor husbandry record with its orcas”. Since 2021 four have died significantly younger than an orca’s average lifespan in the wild, including a three-year-old called Ula. A fifth named Vicky died in 2013 aged only 10 months.
The orcas at LPZ are also said to show signs of stress, including worn and broken teeth from repeated grating against the sides of the tanks and biting metal gates.
Dodds says that LPZ’s track record has been well-documented. “The zoo is on record as being keen to breed its orcas and has indicated that Wikie and Keijo will be utilised as part of its breeding programme, where it has used artificial insemination techniques to force this outcome,” she says.
“With venues closing, there is more importance than ever before for this to be the last generation of whales and dolphins in captivity.”
“The lack of space at LPZ is also of concern, as the tanks are smaller than the ones from the closed Antibes facility,” says Dodds. “Adding two more orcas would add to the stress levels of all animals concerned.”
Shows and tricks
“The evidence that the health and welfare of orcas and other cetaceans is severely compromised in captive environments is clear,” says veterinarian Dr Mark Jones, head of policy at the Born Free Foundation. “The shows and tricks they are forced to perform have no educational or conservation value.
“The French authorities have taken the progressive and welcome step to end the captive display of cetaceans. They must now seek the best possible solutions for the remaining captive animals in the country, starting with Wikie and Keijo. Sending them to Loro Parque will only perpetuate and compound their suffering.”
Divernet has asked Loro Parque Zoo to respond to the criticisms but received no reply. However, the zoo maintains that its performances for audiences by orcas, dolphins and sea-lions are in the animals’ best interests:
“The physical activity and mental challenges involved in training the animals participating in shows are crucial to keeping them fit and in optimal conditions,” it states. “Their activity is linked to achieving rewards, much like what occurs in nature: effort is rewarded with nourishment.
“The actions performed in the shows are naturally occurring behaviours in the wild and are displayed to the public, generating enthusiasm for the animals. This is another significant way to create interest and stimulate commitment to the survival of these species in the wild.”
Also on Divernet: MALTA’s DOLPHIN PARK: IS IT A ZOO OR A CIRCUS?, CHINA SWIMS AGAINST TIDE TO CONFINE THE MOST ORCAS, CAPTIVE DOLPHIN ‘THROWN OUT WITH BATHWATER’, ROMEO & JULIET MANATEES GET AN UPGRADE
