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At the Marineland in Antibes, two orcas died recently. Pierre Robert de Latour, a specialist in these large cetaceans, considers their life in captivity as “abuse in itself”
At the Marineland in Antibes, two orcas died recently. Pierre Robert de Latour, a specialist in these large cetaceans, considers their life in captivity as “abuse in itself”
(1:15 p.m. ON SUNDAY / FRANCE 2)
The death, six months apart, of two orcas at the Marineland water park has reignited the debate on the living conditions of these marine mammals. Pierre Robert de Latour, specialist in these large cetaceans, campaigns against their captivity which he considers cruel and dangerous.
On March 28, the Marineland water park in Antibes announced the death of Inouk, one of its orcas, at the age of 25. A second death in less than six months for the largest marine zoo in Europe, which lost another 12-year-old cetacean, Moana, died of septicemia in October 2023. News which relaunches the debate on the conditions captivity of these marine mammals.
Pierre Robert de Latour, an experienced freediver, has become over the years one of the greatest specialists on killer whales, the other name for these large cetaceans, in their natural habitat. To swim with the orcas, the Frenchman dives into the Norwegian fjords at -10 degrees and takes tourists with him, in small groups.
“Locking up orcas turns them into psychotic killers”
For the freediver who has studied these marine mammals in their natural environment for more than two decades, keeping them in captivity to create entertainment is a cruel and dangerous practice. While watching a report on the orca shows at Marineland, he protests: “Captivity is abuse in itself, the orcas suffer from it. Locking them up transforms animals that are not dangerous to humans in their natural environment into psychotic killers. Even a fjord is too small for an orca, so a pool that’s 30 meters long and 12 meters deep, but it’s just ridiculous! How can we defend that? I shouldn’t even need to say it, it’s just obvious!“
Pierre Robert de Latour never observed the animal’s reputation as a dangerous predator in its natural environment. After a season in which he made more than 7,000 underwater interactions, staying just meters from the orcas, none of the 1,500 tourists he accompanied felt in danger. “When we talk about the dangerousness of orcas, the truth is that in their natural environment, they have never attacked humans, while in animal parks, they have attacked several times, including four fatal attacks.“, he explains.
In France, from 2027, cetaceans banned in dolphinariums
The orca Inouk, the freediver, had already met her. He visited the Marineland park facilities and was able to get as close as possible to the animal by paying for VIP seats. He has bad memories of this meeting: “It really made me sick, seeing Inouk. When you know wild orcas, when you have dived with them, it is impossible to say that these orcas are well treated. To be treated well, for an orca, is to live free. Of course, freedom has a risk, but what these cetaceans are asking for is not to have Social Security and frozen fish, it is to be able to hunt their own fish, feed on them, raise their own fish. small, pass on their knowledge from generation to generation, and then afterwards, pass the hand on like every living being. It’s not amusing an audience by making them believe that they are well treated because they come to dance with the trainers, it’s frankly revolting, sorry but it’s revolting!“
In France, aquatic shows with cetaceans are on hold, because the law against animal abuse has set an ultimatum: from December 1, 2026, orcas and dolphins will be banned in dolphinariums. In the meantime, since April 6, the show has resumed for the last two orcas Wikie and Keijo at the Marineland park in Antibes.
Excerpt from “A man and the orcas”, broadcast in “1:15 p.m. on Sunday”, 7 April 2024.
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