After isolation and suffering at Marineland, Fox was sent to endless exploitation
In November 2024, two seals and four sea lions were shipped from Antibes to the Madrid zoo, where their exploitation has resumed. While Marineland continues to dispose of the animals that made its fortune, many are still languishing in the French park’s pools. Such was the case with Fox, the Steller sea lion whose stereotypical behavior is clearly visible in our images, until his departure on May 8. Pierre Gallego, a veterinarian specializing in marine biology and consultant for One Voice, gives us his analysis.
On April 24, at the Antibes dolphinarium, Wikie and Keijo, but also the dolphins, are still locked up. Among them, we witnessed the distress of Fox, a large male weighing almost a ton. Arrived in Antibes in 2013, the Steller sea lion shared his tank with two of his congeners: Boris and Laska. For the past few months, he had been vegetating there alone, amidst algae accumulating on the floor and fragments floating on the surface. In our images, we see him in full stereotypy, swimming slowly in a circle, taking the same path over and over again, passive and indifferent to his surroundings. How could it be otherwise when there’s no enrichment to be found in this aquatic prison? The only “entertainment” added is a vulgar jet of water. It would be laughable if the situation weren’t so dramatic.
Appalling conditions of confinement
Even when Fox might have hoped to be distracted from his miserable existence at feeding time, this was not the case. 1 minute and 24 seconds: that’s how long the keeper spent with him when feeding him. Not a second longer, and certainly not for any interaction with him. Once he’d had his pittance, Fox was back to his solitary confinement… and his pool laps.
Dr. Pierre Gallego has studied our images. For this veterinarian specializing in marine biology, there’s no doubt: Fox’s attitude is “a typical example of stereotyped behavior, stemming from profound boredom”. To put it bluntly: none of what is going on is okay.
Our consultant denounces in turns the ridiculous size of the pool, its lack of maintenance, the total absence of behavioral enrichment and the imposed isolation. It’s hard to imagine the pain and loneliness felt by this gregarious animal, which should have been living surrounded by other sea lions, napping on rocks, pressed up against his companions, or diving to a depth of a hundred meters. In captivity, this life – any life worthy of the name – is impossible. And the dolphinarium has done nothing to alleviate this ordeal… nothing other than to discard Fox after enriching itself on his back for over 10 years.
For Fox, as for the animals still kept at Marineland, the French government has wilfully failed to anticipate the park’s closure, abandoning the captives to their fate. We will continue to speak out on their behalf. Sign our petitions to demand an end to dolphinariums, and a sanctuary for Wikie and Keijo.