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

Marineland: the shocking expert report for the orcas led by the Ministry of Ecology
04.01.2024
Marineland: the shocking expert report for the orcas led by the Ministry of Ecology
Dolphinariums

On 28 November 2023, the Ministry of Ecology short-circuited the independent expert report that we legally obtained by sending proper veterinarians to Marineland. We had access to the reports written by the so-called professionals. The veterinary specialist for orcas in captivity, David Perpiñàn, was shocked by the content of these documents to say the least.

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The veterinarians’ documents do not cite any scientific articles but rely on the date provided by the captivity lobby (the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the European Association of Zoos and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

Deaths at Marineland: an insubstantial law and a government who digs orcas’ graves

Deaths at Marineland: an insubstantial law and a government who digs orcas’ graves
29.12.2023
Deaths at Marineland: an insubstantial law and a government who digs orcas’ graves
Dolphinariums

The facts about a baby dolphin who died on Christmas day: dates, names of the people in charge of transferring Inouk, Wikie, and Keijo from Marineland to another dolphinarium, biased expert reports… Faced with such a scandal, we will stop at nothing for the orcas born in captivity in France. If we have to rally an army of supporters to stop cranes and lorries from passing through, we will do so.

We have been fighting for more than ten years to guarantee decent lives for the orcas kept captive at Marineland Antibes, and then some. We have explored all possibilities to find an angle of attack for the animals exploited by the park: the dolphinarium decree of 2017 that was passed, attacked, and then cancelled and never reinstated; measures announcing the 2021 law, and then this one, full of secret ways for dolphinariums to continue their morbid trade; and working against sending them to China in 2019, then more recently to Japan…

Like Moana, Inouk has been showing signs of distress and disease for years, and more recently it was Wikie’s turn… Last September, after an appeal and two years of fighting, we obtained something which should have been a formality: an independent expert report on the orcas’ state of health and that of the facilities.

Muriel Arnal, President of One Voice, stated:

«When the State Secretary for Biodiversity suddenly launched an expert report on the same day that the experts appointed by the judge had planned theirs, forcing us to postpone, we understood. A Ministry that is supposed to stand up for biodiversity who has not stopped working to protect the captivity industry. In spring 2017, we were full of hope – a far cry from where we are now…»«We had a robust solution for Inouk, Wikie, and Keijo, which we presented, supported by orca specialists worldwide. We are immensely angry, equal to the shame that should choke those who are facilitating this deadly transfer. This family of orcas, the only one in dolphinariums, prepares to live through the most violent abuse, equivalent to being captured in the wild. We will never forget.»

A government with no consideration for the orcas that it has a moral responsibility for

For a short while, new heads have been appearing at the edge of the pools and seem to be learning the habits of the late Moana, Keijo, Inouk, and Wikie…We also know the faces, names, and titles of the people who are supposed to be participating in the transfer to another park. They are Mark Simmons, Thad Lacineck, Brad Andrews, and Grey Stafford. Their profiles speak for themselves.

The transfer of Inouk, Wikie, and Keijo should take place between 8 and 12 January 2024, during the night. The roads in Antibes will be blocked to let the convoy pass through to the airport. Marineland, with compliance from French authorities, gets rid of orcas, sending them to rot in another dolphinarium in a country where the annual Taiji killing takes place, which we helped to make the western world aware of.

Absurd and yet more dangerous ideas from Marineland’s boss

Just a few days ago, the park’s boss was even considering organising a departure drill for the three surviving orcas born in the pools at Marineland Antibes. In other words, he was mocking these cetaceans’ fear and stress, having to experience gravity for the first time in their lives while being taken out of the water, winched using a crane, suspended in mid-air and then put back into the water afterwards… for it to happen all over again ten days later.

We will not give up, especially faced with more than questionable reports and an accelerating timetable

We consider the reports issued by the Ministry after Moana’s death to be a cynical joke. They confirm that the orcas are in good health. Proof of this would be the resumption of them swimming in circles after several days of staying still in mourning; and that which the very young male died from was not contagious in the short term. We are barely simplifying… As for the Ministry, they are asking us not to disclose these conclusions. They can dream.

The date of the expert report ordered by the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal at our request should take place on 19 January… in front of pools that in all likelihood will be empty. While waiting, we have launched various proceedings to go all in.

A two-day-old baby dolphin dies in front of its grieving mother

To add to this tragedy, and still according to our information (reliable since it was published immediately and confirmed since by Marineland), Joe, a captive dolphin at the dolphinarium, gave birth on 23 December. Her baby only survived for 2 days, until Christmas day… The dolphins in the ‘lagoon’ at the marine zoo are destined to be sold or transferred to Dubai.

We do not want to have to physically (but always peacefully) interfere with the trucks that will take the orcas away, but we will not shy away from the task at hand to save them. We will go to Asia if necessary.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice