Dolphin Transfers: Press Release
At the call of One Voice, campaigners and members of the public will gather on Wednesday 1 July 2026 at the entrance to Marineland in Antibes to demand a sanctuary for the orcas Wikie and Keijo and the park’s last twelve dolphins. The dolphins’ fate is now sealed: their transfer to Spain has been confirmed and will take place very soon. As for the orcas, France has approved their transfer to Spain; Spain, however, has still not given its consent. This rally serves as a powerful reminder: the last line of defence against this moral disaster lies with Spain — and it must hold firm.
On 1 July, One Voice invites the public to gather outside Marineland to say ‘no’ to the transfer of orcas and dolphins to Spanish parks and ‘yes’ to genuine marine sanctuaries.
Loro Parque: the hell that awaits the orcas
Behind the word ‘transfer’ lies a death sentence. At Loro Parque in the Canary Islands, Wikie and her son Keijo would be confined to pools half the size of those in Antibes and forced to live alongside four other orcas driven to aggression by the abuse of captivity. Such immense stress, extensively documented by scientists, leads to a life ending in suffering: shows, breeding, and the severing of family bonds. For animals which, in the wild, never leave their families, this constitutes absolute cruelty.
A transfer that flouts French law
In 2021, France banned the keeping and breeding of cetaceans in captivity. By authorising their transfer to Spain, the Ministry for Ecological Transition is failing to comply with this law: it is effectively relocating the circumvention of the law. One Voice condemns a decision dictated primarily by the financial interests of Parques Reunidos, the owner of Marineland, which views these animals merely as assets to be liquidated.
The ‘magical sanctuary’ already exists
‘There is no such thing as a magical sanctuary’, the minister has dared to claim. This is false. In Taranto, Italy, the San Paolo Dolphin Refuge — which One Voice has helped to fund — is set to welcome its first dolphins as early as this summer. In Nova Scotia, Canada, a semi-wild sanctuary for orcas is currently being created. This proves that, with a little political courage, an alternative exists and is a realistic option.
What about the twelve dolphins?
The dolphins’ fate, however, is sealed. They are due to leave in early summer. Eight of them will endure a traumatic round trip via Spain (Málaga) before arriving at Beauval, in a new dolphinarium disguised as a ‘research and conservation centre’ — an absurd project that One Voice will fight all the way to court. Breeding, pools made of glass and concrete, an approach which is primarily economic: here again, the very opposite of a sanctuary. The other four dolphins – Sharky, Malou, Nala (who will be separated from her daughter Lua) and Ollie – will be sent to the dolphinarium in Valencia to stay there permanently.
For the orcas, the final line of defence is in Spain: it must hold
It’s not over yet. Spain has not given its consent, and its own scientists – the Spanish CITES authority – have spoken out against the arrival of the animals from Marineland at Loro Parque. This is now where the battle lies: One Voice, alongside Spanish organisations, is urging the Spanish government to stand firm where France has given in, and to refuse to become complicit in this farce. Spain must listen to its scientists: this is now the last line of defence for Wikie and Keijo.
One Voice will not give up
The organisation has already thwarted the sale of the orcas from Antibes to China in 2019, then to Japan in 2024, and halted a dolphinarium project in Beauval in 2016. Both on the ground and in the courts, it will continue the fight to the very end. Join us on 1 July outside the former park, for Wikie, Keijo and the twelve dolphins.
“France has chosen to get rid of Wikie and Keijo by sending them to Loro Parque, where captivity is already taking its toll on orcas. But nothing is decided yet: Spain has not signed. On 1 July, we’ll be outside Marineland to reiterate the obvious — a sanctuary, and nothing else. And we’re counting on the Spanish government’s courage to stand firm where France has given in, resorting to a web of lies. After ten years of campaigning, we thought we’d seen it all when it came to the cynicism of the Ministry of Ecology, but it has still managed to leave us speechless.” Muriel Arnal, President of One Voice
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Date: Wednesday 1 July 2026
Venue: Rond-Point de la Brague, 06600 Antibes
Time: 1 pm to 2 pm
Event: facebook.com/events/983790217788429
Petitions: ‘A sanctuary and nothing else!’ and ‘No to the Beauval project!’
Dolphin transfers: Press release
Dolphin transfer confirmed for early summer: One Voice calls for a rally on 1 July outside Marineland