A drama that mobilizes

On October 12th 2015, Valentin, a 19-year-old teenager, was found dead in his Marineland pool in Antibes. The cause of his death: a twisting of the bowel probably due to significant stress. And stress, Valentine has had. Valentine is an orca. He should have been born in the ocean and lived in his pod for several decades – Granny, the oldest of the wild killer whales, has surpassed a century. He would have learned the dialect, the traditions and protected the members. Orca families are close-knit; he would have grown up close to his mother, staying by her side, always, even until old. The mother-son bond is very strong in orcas. But Valentin was born in a pool. He was taught to obey and to be applauded. And in June 2015, his mother, Freya, died she was only 33 years old.

Trade, slavery, torture

Freya had been stolen from her family, who was swimming off the coast of Iceland when she was a baby. Her life in a pool has been a long suffering, as for all captive cetaceans. She experienced several miscarriages, all consecutive to artificial insemination. We should not mess with genes in dolphinariums. Many people think that led to Freya falling into a deep depression. Her premature end was a shock for Valentin who had since remained prostrate. The wave of mud that had submerged Marineland had been a last test. But was it death or deliverance? In captivity, orcas do not live long. It is therefore urgent to save Moana and the other companions of Valentine, as well as all the other captive cetaceans!

The biodiversity law: a unique opportunity

The biodiversity law will be reviewed in January 2016. In this context, One Voice has asked for the ban of dolphinariums and has obtained a moratorium. Two new dolphinarium projects have, at least temporarily, been blocked. This text must in fact be based on the application of the principle of ecological solidarity. However, the commercial activity of dolphinariums is contrary to this principle. Indeed, not only do they inflict suffering on captive wild animals because they cannot meet their basic physiological needs (chlorinated water, confined spaces, etc.), but they also present an unnatural vision of the species, further encouraging their capture and exploitation.

A national mobilization

One Voice, with the support of Animalter, ASPAS, Dolphins Libres, FAADA, Marine Connection and SOS Grand Bleu, is calling for the biodiversity law to ban dolphinariums and to order the transfer of all captive cetaceans to marine enclosures, for example, recommendations of Dr. Ingrid Visser. To support our request, sign and broadcast the petition!