Spanish refusal to transfer orcas from Marineland, a strong signal to end captivity

Spanish refusal to transfer orcas from Marineland, a strong signal to end captivity
11.04.2025
Spanish refusal to transfer orcas from Marineland, a strong signal to end captivity
Exploitation for shows

On Thursday April 10, 2025, the Spanish authorities definitively refused to transfer the orcas from Antibes Marineland to Loro Parque. A salutary decision, the fruit of a long campaign.

Marineland was planning to move Wikie, Keijo and several other animals to dolphinariums with dubious reputations, without openly communicating the date of the transfer. Thanks to a field survey and diplomatic pressure, One Voice helped to prevent the transfer from taking place. This setback should mark a turning point. Marineland’s cetaceans must never again experience the hell of the tanks.

One Voice is calling for them to be placed in sanctuaries.

A categorical refusal that brings about major change

Since the passing of the 2021 law banning cetacean shows from the end of 2026 – and even though this law provides the captivity industry with numerous loopholes to evade it – Marineland, now closed to the public, has been desperate to part with the animals and its most profitable loss leaders: orcas. The solutions proposed, notably their transfer to dolphinariums with dubious reputations, only lengthens their captivity in increasingly cramped tanks. The Spanish refusal marks a decisive turning point.

For years – and increasingly so in recent months – Marineland had been pressuring the government with sickening job blackmail, shamelessly lying to its staff, the authorities and the public alike. Nothing in the law prevented Marineland from keeping orcas and keepers on site, apart from a lack of profitability that was becoming increasingly apparent in the Antibes stands. This awareness has been accelerated by the continuous work of animal rights activists, who are raising awareness of the suffering of captive and trained cetaceans.

Secret preparations, imminent departure

Since the beginning of the month – and even more so since the end of the judicial expert assessment obtained by One Voice, which prevented the departure of Wikie and Keijo – we have been closely following the intensive preparations put in place by the Côte d’Azur dolphinarium, determined to get rid of Marineland’s orcas, dolphins, sea lions, flamingos, sharks and turtles as quickly as possible.

Over a period of ten days, training, moving, opening passages and pruning trees were observed.

The dismantling of the Lagoon arch was completed in one morning. The orcas’ medical tank was largely emptied while they were inside, then refilled in preparation for their transfer. Similarly, the keepers rubbed the fabric of the lifting stretcher on the orcas’ skin during their meals, to get them used to its contact.

On the evening of Wednesday April 9, after the departure of several sea lions and the opening of the access to the Lagon basin, where most of the dolphins are located, two heavy goods vehicles parked in the park. The following morning, at around 8am, a truck equipped with a telescopic arm docked on the ground near the orca basin and removed from the trucks the transport crates for Wikie and her son. By 11am, the operation was complete. Everything was in place for the imminent departure of the orcas, dolphins and Fox, the Steller sea lion.

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Transfer list revealed

Sharky (the darkest dolphin in the show tank) and Malou (the young mother), originally from the wild, were to remain in Europe. They were to be sent to Loro Parque (Spain), accompanied by the orcas Wikie and Keijo, and Fox, the large male Steller sea lion.

Tex, Anya, Joey, Neo and Kay, the dolphins from the Lagoon Basin – who had already been transferred from Spain (Madrid or Valencia) – were to make a stopover at Madrid Zoo, before heading for Hainan, China. Malou’s daughter, along with the other dolphins from the show tank, were to accompany them.

Spain says no to confinement

In a welcome turn of events, salvation came from an unexpected source: the Spanish health authorities. After we had alerted to the dangers that the arrival of two potentially sick French orcas – sharing the same water and forced interactions – would represent for Morgan’s baby, just born at Loro Parque, Spain vetoed the move. By 8pm on Thursday evening, the transfer of the orcas and dolphins was definitively blocked.

The French Minister for Ecological Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, has naturally asked Parques Reunidos, Marineland’s owner, to ensure continuity of care. This is excellent news, but far from sufficient. A concrete and humane plan, with funding and a strong political commitment, is essential.

We reiterate our proposal to bring competent staff to the basins to care for the two orcas. The judicial expert assessment we have obtained has demonstrated the absence of appropriate care, which must be remedied as a matter of urgency to prevent Wikie and Keijo from continuing to suffer with mortal risks.

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Sanctuaries, not tanks

Once again, One Voice calls on the French authorities to accept their responsibilities. Marineland’s orcas and dolphins must not be sent to other aquatic prisons. The Minister must not go back on her commitment not to accept the sending of Wikie and Keijo to Asia.

Any solution other than endless exploitation must now be considered.

They deserve to be transferred to suitable sanctuaries currently being created, whether in Nova Scotia or elsewhere. The Lipsi sanctuary in Greece – a long-standing One Voice partner for welcoming the Marineland dolphins – is a case in point.

These sanctuaries, although delimited by nets fixed to the seabed, offer direct contact with the sea, a natural environment, and the chance to learn to live without stress and deprivation. Semi-liberty, close to the open sea, without training, where veterinary care and food are provided by competent professionals.

We demand that France seize this opportunity to turn the page on an era when cetacean captivity was tolerated. It’s time to act so that Wikie, Keijo and the others have not suffered in vain. One Voice remains vigilant and will continue to fight for the well-being of Marineland’s cetaceans, calling for solutions that respect their dignity and freedom.

This Spanish refusal causes a breach in the closed system of captivity. It’s time for France to accept its responsibilities: no cetacean should be returned to a tank. One Voice is calling for them to be placed in suitable sanctuaries in Europe or Canada, where they can finally regain a semblance of freedom. We call on the public to sign our petition for Marineland’s orcas.

Forensic report on orcas: 84 pages of platitudes despite dysfunctions at Marineland

Forensic report on orcas: 84 pages of platitudes despite dysfunctions at Marineland
08.04.2025
Antibes
Forensic report on orcas: 84 pages of platitudes despite dysfunctions at Marineland
Exploitation for shows

Two meetings in fifteen months, six months’ delay by Marineland before sending the documents and dozens of emails exchanged between the parties, including endless reminders to the experts. In the midst of the proceedings, the park did not see fit to inform them of Inouk’s death so that they could take part in his autopsy. They heard it from the press. They have chosen to remain silent since June 2024, and have not even deigned to send a summary sheet so that the main points can be discussed before the final report is delivered, thus preventing any upstream fine-tuning as is customary. A lack of courage that is clearly a missed opportunity, and at the limits of the rules of the exercise.

The expert report ordered by the Grasse court at One Voice’s request was delivered on April 7, 2025. We confronted Marineland about the quality of the water and the state of the tanks, but above all about the health of Inouk and Moana, then Wikie and Keijo.

Today, we are releasing this report to the general public, along with our analysis of it.

While certain undeniable elements are highlighted (such as Moana’s illnesses, or Inouk’s dental problems), the reasons for the development of this condition are never questioned, even though this was precisely the role of this procedure.

The cetacean specialists One Voice asked to take part in the expert report, Dr. P. Gallego and Dr. D. Perpiñan, as well as our three lawyers, Mses C. Lanty, C. Robert and M. Voutsas, are today joining us in denouncing the catastrophic orca management practices at Antibes Marineland, revealing that our concerns were well-founded… if it were still necessary to demonstrate this, since our request for an expert report alerted to the health of Moana and Inouk, one of whom died two weeks and the other six months after the court’s decision to order it.

We therefore deplore the lack of hindsight and critical eye of the two experts appointed by the court with regard to the elements transmitted – with bad grace – by Marineland.

The fact that One Voice requested an expert report on Inouk and Moana, and that these two orcas died less than a year after the ruling, clearly demonstrates that One Voice’s fears were justified, and that Antibes Marineland’s management of the orcas is catastrophic. Dr Pierre Gallégo One Voice veterinary consultant, cetacean specialist According to the experts, the quality of the water and the facilities do not present any anomalies in terms of animal welfare. Why have the Minister and Marineland suddenly taken to claiming in chorus that it was urgent to transfer Wikie and Keijo because of the state of the tanks? In this report, as throughout the judicial expert assessment, the suffering of each of the four orcas has been clearly demonstrated. One Voice has fought this battle for eight years, and it’s not over. We will be following Wikie and Keijo, but we also want to ensure that the unspeakable suffering endured by Inouk and Moana can spare the other captive orcas from the same ordeal. Muriel Arnal President of One Voice

Here’s our analysis:

• Obvious errors in medical records
  Admittedly, the word “orca” is a feminine noun in French, and Moana ends with the letter a, but we were entitled to expect better: the expert report reveals that, in Moana’s file, the court’s experts made a mistake in the sex of the orca – presented as female when he was a male – revealing their disturbing lack of knowledge of the file.
• Prolonged and inadequate treatment
  Medical records show that Moana, who was monitored from January 5, 2023 until his death on October 18, 2023 (i.e. 292 days), was subjected to heavy and repeated treatment:
  • antibiotics for 107 days (37% of the period);
  • corticoids for 31 days (11%);
  • painkillers for 36 days (12%);
  • antifungals for 21 days (7%).

These treatments, combined with invasive and painful dental procedures, among other things, show that veterinary care is far from sufficient to prevent irreversible deterioration in the animal’s state of health.

Dr. Pierre Gallégo, One Voice’s veterinary consultant and a cetacean specialist, explains:

“Some major dental procedures were carried out over extremely long periods. For example, the drilling of one of Moana’s teeth began before January 5, 2023, and was completed on January 31, 2023. This was followed by post-drilling care (curettage of the pus in the drilled canal), which lasted until the day before his death on October 18, 2023. He therefore suffered from severe dental infections over a long period of time (a minimum of 292 days), requiring heavy, repeated and prolonged treatment with antibiotics and painkillers, extensive and painful dental surgeries, with infected periodontal pockets requiring rinsing to remove the pus. It’s very clear that Moana suffered from severe dental pain for a very long time, right up to his death. Who can believe for a moment that the orca was well and that One Voice’s fears were unjustified? As for the management of orcas by Antibes Marineland, it is quite simply catastrophic.”

• Critical diagnostic omissions
  The report also points out that pathologies such as pneumonia, ulcerative gastritis and the presence of foreign bodies in Moana’s and Inouk’s bodies – diagnosed a posteriori at autopsy – were never adequately treated by Marineland’s veterinarian, whose priority was repetitive dental operations. This lack of investigation contributed to leaving pain unrelieved and aggravating the orcas’ suffering, to the point of no return. Inouk suffered from osteomyelitis of the jaw, an inflammation and destruction of the bones caused by bacteria, mycobacteria or fungi. A serious, excruciating, chronic infection, not properly treated, which means that Inouk suffered for a very long time.

Suffering attributed to an unsuitable environment

• Consequences of stereotypical behavior
  The analysis establishes that the dental wear responsible for severe lesions in Moana and Inouk is the result of stereotypical behavior induced by boredom and suffering in captivity. Lack of behavioral enrichment and too-small tanks would have led them to bite metal walls and structures, thus favoring the appearance of chronic and severe suffering.
• Problems observed in several orcas
  The cases of Wikie and Keijo, although deemed “normal” on the basis of the documents provided by Marineland, contrast with the damning findings on Moana and Inouk. Numerous signs, such as widespread dental erosion, dorsal fin deformities (present in 100% of adult males in captivity) and abnormal social withdrawal behaviors, testify to latent malaise and inadequate care.

Blatant inconsistencies concerning the park’s infrastructure

• Contradiction between official declarations and reality
  All these years, in response to our warnings, the park and the Ministry said that all was well in the best of worlds…
  While the experts’ report states that the infrastructures (tanks and water circulation system) comply with minimum sanitary standards, the fact that Antibes Marineland and the French Minister for Ecology, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, are demanding, now that the park is closed, that the orcas be urgently transported – on the pretext of an advanced state of deterioration – raises questions. The absence of any explanation for this urgency, despite reports of “recurrent repair work”, suggests that the reality in the field is far more worrying than the experts suggest. Where is the reality? We’ll probably never know, given the experts’ unwillingness to take a stand and really objectify the situation.
• Lack of transparency in the documentation
  The court’s ruling (Aix Court of Appeal, September 2023) provided for the submission of a summary document. However, this document was not produced, and the late or erratic transmission of Marineland’s documents bears witness to a lack of procedural rigor. This dysfunction contributes to the impression of an “expert report” which was mistaken for a simple report, without any critical investigation of the facts.

In conclusion:

An urgent call for the overhaul of management and practices

All the elements contained in the expert documents demonstrate that the management of orcas at Antibes Marineland is marked by an accumulation of diagnostic errors, inadequate medical follow-ups and infrastructure management out of step with the animals’ real needs. The report concludes that these dysfunctions – responsible for considerable suffering and even early deaths – illustrate a serious attack on animal welfare.

In light of these findings, One Voice is calling for an urgent overhaul of the orcas’ day-to-day management, including:

• A complete review of medical follow-up protocols and veterinary practices;
• Questioning captivity conditions and appropriate behavioral enrichment;
• Total transparency in the communication of files and interventions carried out;
• The association reiterates its proposal made to the Ministry and Marineland the day after Moana’s death in October 2023, and repeated on the day of Inouk’s death a few months later, to fully fund the mission of veterinarians and scientists specializing in orcas to come and take care of them and give Wikie and Keijo a chance of not suffering the same tragic fate as the other members of their family.

Loro Parque: would Morgan’s baby survive the arrival of the French orcas?

Loro Parque: would Morgan’s baby survive the arrival of the French orcas?
09.04.2025
Tenerife
Loro Parque: would Morgan’s baby survive the arrival of the French orcas?
Exploitation for shows

In early March 2025, Morgan gave birth again in the tanks of Loro Parque. Since then, she has been in isolation with her calf. We are publishing previously unseen images of the two orcas and warning of the danger posed to them by the imminent arrival of Wikie and Keijo in Tenerife. Only a few days old, the young orca may not survive this upheaval.

Here’s an exclusive video of Morgan and her calf, less than a week after his birth at Loro Parque in Tenerife, watched by male orcas Adán and Tekoa.

According to Dr. Gallego, a cetacean veterinarian and consultant to One Voice, there are two major risks to this seemingly puny newborn baby from the imminent arrival of Wikie and Keijo:

Firstly, the stress induced by the cranes, the waves this arrival will create, and the tensions between individuals in these tanks, which are so much smaller than those at Marineland. In which tank will Morgan and his son be in peace? Ideally, a minimum of one month is required before any upheaval takes place. 

And above all: what kind of water filtering system is planned? Morgan transmits her antibodies to the baby via her milk, but we don’t want the bacteria from the French orcas to expose him to diseases… 

Let’s not forget that Morgan’s daughter Ula died at less than three years of age… She was born with a malformation. To this day, we don’t know the real state of health of this little male orca, who doesn’t yet have a first name.