BY Yasmine Marrero from EARTHDAY.org
In a shuttered marine park on the French Riviera, Wikie and her son Keijo circle endlessly in crumbling, algae-infested tanks. Once the stars of Marineland’s live shows, this mother-son orca duo are the last captive killer whales in France– and they have nowhere to go next.
In 2021, France passed a landmark law banning cetaceans, including whales and dolphins, from captivity and live performances, for animal welfare concerns. It was a major victory for marine life advocates, and Marineland Antibes cited the law when it closed its doors on January 5th, 2025. When the park closed, it had 4,000 animals of 150 species. Most have been relocated, but Wikie, 23 years old, and her son Keijo, 11 years old, as well as 12 bottlenose dolphins, remain.
Danger in the Deep
The French law gave parks until December 2026 to find suitable homes, but Wikie, Keijo, and the dolphins are still there. In the meantime, Marineland Antibes is responsible for the animals’ well-being. However, only a skeleton crew works to feed them, and activists worry that the orcas are trapped in deteriorating conditions with little mental stimulation.
Newly released drone footage, filmed by TideBreakers, shows the orcas swimming in algae rich water surrounded by empty enclosures. Animal activists are raising the alarm, arguing that the whales could become ill and TideBreakers warn they could potentially “be euthanized or succumb to the deteriorating environment.”
Wild orcas swim an average of 40 miles a day just for basic food and exercise. Marine mammal scientist Naomi Rose argues that you can’t change evolution to fit whales into tanks. A primary indicator for whether a mammal will do well in captivity ishow wide their range is in the wild, and “not one marine mammal is adapted to thrive…in a concrete box.”
Wikie, Keijo and these dolphins are all highly intelligent creatures, they require mental enrichment, which the skeleton staff may not be able to adequately provide.Orcas have the second-largest brain of any animal on the planet, and like humans, have highly developed social intelligence, language, self-awareness, and sophisticated cultures. By isolating Wikie and Keijo in a concrete tank, without a lot of human interaction - they aren’t just bored, but potentially suffering.
In the wild, female orcas can live up to at least 90 years old, and males at least 60 years old. Orcas live far shorter lives in captivity, and two family members of Wikie and Keijo have already died within five months of each other at the park. Moana, Wikie’s firstborn son and Keijo’s brother, died at 12 years old in October 2023 because of a bacterial infection in his bloodstream potentially caught from contaminated fish. Inouk, Wikie’s brother, died at 25 years old in March 2024 after ingesting a metallic foreignbody that probably fell intothe orca pool.
Before his death, he already had a collapsed dorsal fin and no teeth from gnawing on his tank walls. Self-mutilation is a stress-induced behavior typical of captive animals with little to no enrichment and too-small enclosures. Both these deaths occurred while Marineland was in full operation.
No Place to Go
So far, Wikie and Keijo’s potential new homes have been dead ends. Their most likely destination was Loro Parque, a marine zoo in Tenerife, Spain. However, after action was taken by another NGO, both French and Spanish authorities rejected this planbecause of space restrictions. Loro Parque is already home to four orcas, including one just born in March, and a panel concluded that the park wouldn’t meet the already small minimum requirements to accommodate two more whales.
Marineland also hoped to transfer the orcas to a marine zoo in Japan. However, the French government blocked the deal because Japan doesn’t have strict enough animal welfare standards, which could threaten Wikie and Keijo’s well-being. The French government demanded a transfer to a European park with higher standards.
French Minister of Ecology Agnès Pannier-Runacher said in February that a suitable site for a European sanctuary has not yet been secured. However, she also revealed that discussions have been held with the Italian, Greek, and Spanish ministers to find a solution. Although none have been decided so far, Pannier-Runacher said the Taranto sanctuary project in Italy has the support of authorities and “could be ready within a year.” There was talk of moving the orcas to a sanctuary in Canada but it has not been built yet and is therefore not an option.
The French government has said that relocation could take a year at the earliestwhile a suitable home for them is found. But Wikie and Keijo might not survive that long.
Action, Not Silence
Ironically, the United Nations 2025 Ocean Conference is about to start in Nice, just 22 km from Marineland Antibes. From June 9th to 13th, while world leaders and ocean experts gather to champion marine life, two of the world’s most intelligent and emotionally complex animals suffer in silence nearby. This is not a local issue– it’s a global moral failure.
The UN cannot claim leadership on ocean protection while ignoring the suffering so close to its summit– we call upon participants at the UN Ocean Conference to speak out about this urgent case and help the authorities and Marineland find a solution.
We also call on you, our readers, to raise your voice. Help to pressure the French government to act with urgency. Write directly to President Emmanuel Macron, demanding he intervene immediately to ensure a humane, sustainable future for these animals and fulfill France’s commitment to animal welfare. Additionally, urge the French press to cover this story more widely and please share this story on your social media feeds.
These orcas and dolphins are in limbo. Make sure the world hears their story and acts, because Wikie and Keijo cannot wait indefinitely– their lives hang in the balance today.
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