The race to save Wikie and Keijo: the mother and son orcas left in a shut-down aquarium (www.theguardian.com)
from HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works to world@lemmy.world on 12 Feb 21:19
https://sh.itjust.works/post/55235283

In a sprawling aquarium complex in south-eastern France that once drew half a million visitors a year, only a few dozen people now move between pools that contain the last remaining marine mammals of Marineland Antibes. Weeds grow on walkways, the stands are empty and algae grows in the pools, giving the water a greenish hue.

It is here that Wikie and Keijo, a mother and son pair of orcas, are floating. They were born in these pools, and for decades they performed in shows for crowds. But since the park’s closure in January 2025, they no longer have an audience. When they are alone, they “log”, or float at the water’s surface, according to a court-ordered report released last April.

Marineland has long acknowledged that there is an urgent need to transfer the orcas. In a statement to the Guardian, it reiterates this: “Marineland has been saying for some time that the park cannot wait any longer.

In December 2025 the French minister delegate for ecological transition, Mathieu Lefèvre, announced that Wikie and Keijo would be sent to the Whale Sanctuary Project in Nova Scotia, Canada, calling it the “only ethical, credible, and legally compliant solution”. The 40-hectare (100-acre) outdoor site aims to recreate a seaside environment as close as possible to the natural habitat of whales and dolphins.

Lori Marino, a neuroscientist and founder of the Whale Sanctuary Project, says: “They [the orca pair] will have depth to dive, an interesting and vibrant underwater environment to explore, and conditioning and exercise routines with the trainers.”

On Monday, Marino will present her plan for the orcas at the meeting – but getting it through will not be straightforward. The decision by the French government to opt for the Whale Sanctuary Project has met strong resistance from other animal welfare organisations and Marineland’s owner.

“Nobody is actually working together, that is the problem,” says Marino.

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