Mobilisation for Wikie and Keijo: Press release
Government U-turn and betrayal of all commitments! One Voice mobilises tomorrow in Nice for the orcas at Marineland
This Saturday, 11 April, One Voice is organising a symbolic protest in Nice to denounce a decision currently being made behind the scenes: the transfer of Wikie and Keijo to the worst possible place of captivity, in Spain. Pending an official statement, on Tuesday during a hearing, the Minister for Ecological Transition clarified his pro-Loro Parque stance, reneging on his initial position.
One Voice invites the people of Nice to gather tomorrow at the Rauba Capeu headland (opposite the War Memorial) for a protest in support of the two orcas – Wikie and Keijo – and the 12 dolphins still held captive since Marineland closed over a year ago.
From 2.30 pm to 4 pm, this event will take the form of a visual and audio performance centred around a song dedicated to the two orcas. More than just a gathering, it will be a moment of reflection to pay tribute to them and raise public awareness of their plight, with an information stand where people can talk to the association’s representatives.
This event comes at just the right time. On Tuesday 7 April, during a hearing of the Minister for Ecological Transition by the Senate’s Economic Affairs Committee, the Minister Mathieu Lefèvre expressed a stance that reinforces One Voice’s analysis, just days before an official government announcement on the subject.
A non-exhaustive selection from his remarks:
“The pools endanger the orcas’ lives every day. ” This is despite the fact that, a year ago, two independent legal experts wrote that the condition of the pools was good and that work had been carried out in recent months to make them safer.
“These animals are not the property of the French state; they are the property of Marineland.” Whilst Parques Unidos is indeed the “owner” of the orcas, their transfer between countries is nevertheless subject to authorisation and requires permits. It should be recalled that in November 2024, the French government opposed the transfer of the orcas to Japan. And in April 2025, Spain refused the transfer of Wikie and Keijo to Loro Parque, deeming conditions at the dolphinarium in Tenerife to be too poor. Proof that states have a say in the future of wild animals, protected by international regulations.
“There is no such thing as a magical sanctuary.” The option of a sanctuary in Nova Scotia was, however, approved by the Ministry for Ecological Transition last December, announced by the Minister in all the media. Moreover, €3 million has just been injected into this project and work has begun. A sanctuary has just opened in Italy, a country that has put into practice what it preached, taking responsibility for the cetaceans held there. Sanctuaries are not mirages but the only viable alternative to free dolphins and orcas from exploitation in dolphinariums.
Enough of the manoeuvring and lies!
One Voice refuses to let this decision be made behind closed doors and will continue to take action at every level to prevent it: on the streets, outside institutions, and through all necessary legal channels. Public, media and political pressure is now more essential than ever.
Sending Wikie and Keijo to Loro Parque would amount to plunging them into one of the worst cycles of exploitation: forced breeding, abusive conditions of captivity, and the risk of being transferred to Asia to feed an ever-voracious international market.
Beyond their fate, our association is denouncing a major contradiction: how can France ban the captivity and breeding of cetaceans on its territory… whilst knowingly organising their export to facilities where these practices persist? Such a decision would render the 2021 law meaningless and constitute a serious political capitulation.
The closure of Marineland must not serve as a pretext for the worst kind of commodification. Alternatives exist — marine sanctuaries — and these must be seriously pursued.
On 11 April in Nice, One Voice is calling for a strong mobilisation to make a clear demand heard: there is still time to avoid the worst.
Because transferring these animals to another dolphinarium borders on the abject.
Because their fate is not yet sealed.
Right up to the very last moment, One Voice will not give up.
A petition is currently online demanding a dignified outcome for Wikie, Keijo and the dolphins. The organisation is calling on the public to sign it in large numbers in order to influence the political decision and prevent their transfer to dolphinariums abroad.
Mobilisation for Wikie and Keijo: Press release
U-turn by the government and betrayal of all commitments! One Voice mobilises tomorrow in Nice for the orcas at Marineland