Marineland: the shocking expert report for the orcas led by the Ministry of Ecology

The government sent their experts on the exact same day as the meeting with those appointed by the judge, forcing us to postpone it. It is now set for 19 January, but will the orcas still be there? While waiting, the veterinarians sent to Marineland by the Ministry of Ecology concluded that Wikie, Inouk, and Keijo were in good health and that the state of the pools, quality of the water, and the conditions they were being kept in were impeccable.

But since we are telling you that the orcas are fine…

The reports from the two veterinarians chosen by the Ministry agree so much that we have also found the same typing errors in their documents. And not only did they not consider it necessary to observe Wikie, Inouk, and Keijo for more than two hours in total (by comparison, David Perpiñàn spent two whole days at the sides of the pools at the end of September and made new observations until the very last second), but it also did not seem a good idea to them to consult the medical history prior to 2023.

Forced to acknowledge the extreme tooth wear suffered by Wikie, their accounts downplay these sea giants’ suffering and they twist things to arrive at the conclusion that they are in great shape. Despite Inouk’s ongoing pain, despite the heavy and recurrent treatments that have to be administered to him… the veterinarians are unfazed: according to them, Inouk is taking the medication, so he is fine.

As for Keijo, he lost 10% of his bodyweight (more than 220 kilos) between his 9th and 10th year. For an adolescent that is still growing, what could be more normal than this amount of weight loss?

… incidentally, the captivity industry agrees

The veterinarians’ documents do not cite any scientific articles but rely on the date provided by the captivity lobby (the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, and the European Association for Aquatic Mammals), whose recommendations are based on… nothing. Wikie, Inouk, and Keijo can happily flounder in water that can reach 21°C even though temperatures do not exceed 11°C in the waters where their parents were captured – no problem!

With no autopsy report for Moana, veterinarians bet that his family is not in danger.

And it does not matter that the cause of Moana’s death is still unknown forty days later (a delay that is never seen in dolphinariums), the report’s conclusion is formal: no risk factor linked to his death constitutes a threat to those surviving. Oh really? We had understood that the conclusions of the autopsy were not yet known.

The red carpet is therefore rolled out for the orcas’ imminent departure to Japan. All that is missing is a little stamp and here is the consultation of the competent scientific authority giving the green light to this exfiltration…

«The 2021 law “against animal abuse” allows dolphinariums who lead scientific research projects to continue to own cetaceans. While these programs exist, they have always had a prerequisite to have authorisation for keeping animals. This law gives the illusion that Marineland cannot keep them after 2026. The park uses these false pretences to sell this incredibly unique family of orcas to the worst networks. And the Ministry of Ecology would be able to say that they did everything they could to help the dolphins and whales born in France and who they therefore have responsibility for.»Muriel Arnal, President of One Voice

To stop the transfer of Wikie, Inouk, and Keijo to pools in Asia, sign and share our petition and write to the State Secretary in charge of biodiversity as well as to your MPs. The fight continues!

Translated from the French by Joely Justice