Whether Marineland closes or not, the orcas stay and the assessment continues
Closure of Marineland or not, the announcement made by the dolphinarium on the eve of the expected decision by the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal – a pitiful attempt to influence the judge’s opinion – won’t change a thing. The judicial assessment for Wikie and Keijo, which the marine park has always tried to obstruct, will indeed go ahead to its conclusion, as confirmed by the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal today. This is the third setback in a row for the dolphinarium, which has never been willing to accept One Voice’s offer to discuss a solution that would benefit the marine mammals and other animals in its establishment.
We could be delighted that Marineland is closing its doors… The announcement on December 4, 2024, and set for January 5, 2025, had the effect of a bombshell. Indeed, the public’s disaffection for shows displaying animal distress has only been confirmed over the years, thanks to studies on the sensitivity and intelligence of the giants of the seas, and the assiduous work of associations who have never ceased to communicate this information to as many people as possible. But this closure also means announced tragedies for all captive animals, fish, sea lions, seals, dolphins, orcas… We can neither applaud nor stop fighting for them. The media hype around the 2021 law, then the announcements of the marine parks, Asterix then Marineland, cannot hide the reality of the life experiences of those who are most concerned.
Marineland wanted to send the exploited orcas wherever and whenever the dolphinarium decided…
The Minister of Ecological Transition has announced it, and her decision will stand : Wikie and Keijo will not be sent to a hotel complex in Kōbé, Japan. A recent resounding victory for the association, and a slap in the face for Asia’s captivity industry, the world’s only developing one.
The park fought tooth and nail to avoid an expert assessment it did not want under any circumstances.
The other breakthrough was that on November 15, 2024, our request to extend the expert assessment to the two surviving orcas, Wikie and Keijo, was accepted by the Grasse court. It was essential for us to guarantee that the findings on the orcas’ state of health would be maintained, despite the disappearance of Inouk and Moana. What was self-evident in principle had to be confirmed in law, at the risk of the expert assessment coming to an end as it became irrelevant from the death of these two males of the family, for whom we were alerting the whole world long before 2019, even before the vote on the law against animal abuse !
As things stand, Wikie and Keijo cannot be shipped abroad
On December 5, in yet another setback for the captivity industry – and a magnificent victory for One Voice – the orcas will not be moved until the veterinary experts appointed by the legal tribunal in Grasse issue their report, whether or not the doors are open to spectators. This confirms that the judicial assessment is central in this case to assess the health of the two animals and the place they’re being held at.
Once again, what seemed self-evident (a high-risk transfer is not carried out if there is a suspicion of ill-being) is confirmed by the voice of the judges. Otherwise, the operators would have stepped into the breach.
Brought to light, the park’s hypocrisy is no longer in doubt
It’s written in black and white in the report commissioned by the French Ministry of Ecology, and underlined at the hearing on October 29, 2024 in Aix-en-Provence : Marineland had thought of evading the court ruling ! We had to take absolutely all the necessary measures to guarantee that the orcas would remain on site.
Marineland can’t just walk away. Should Marineland nevertheless fail to comply, the court also confirmed the dissuasive fine imposed by the Grasse court.
The court also had a few particularly touching words to say about the nature of animals, which cannot be considered as objects. The industry cannot consider them as part of a whole to be liquidated :
These two orcas are now the only thing that matters, and everything must be done in their best interests and with regard to their health.
This delay, obtained in spite of the pseudo-Cassandras and sparing no effort, allows us to look to the future with a little more hope. We reiterate our call and our invitation to the authorities and to the company that owns Marineland, Parques Reunidos, to discuss together the best possible future for this mother and her son, who have seen their whole family decimated : a marine sanctuary, despite the risks that this project entails. For another dolphinarium would guarantee immeasurable suffering until death. It’s worth it every time.