What will become of the three orcas at Marineland Antibes in the Alpes-Maritimes?

By the end of 2026, the captivity of cetaceans will be prohibited in France. The fate of Inouk, Wikie and Keijo from Marineland in Antibes particularly worries animal protection associations, who fear a departure for Japan.

In the images filmed by the One Voice association on January 9, we see the family of orcas – Inouk, Wikie and Keijo – in a narrow pool, three-quarters emptied. “Several dozen people were around the pool with a stretcher pulled by a crane to try to put the orcas on it”, says Muriel Arnal, the president of One Voice. Like her, many animal rights activists are concerned about the future of the three orcas at Marineland Antibes in the Alpes Maritimes.

At the end of 2026, captivity for cetaceans will be prohibited within three years, as provided for by the law on animal abuse. This week, Marineland prepared its orcas for departure. A training filmed by the One Voice association, which fears a plan to sell orcas to a Japanese zoo. A country less protective for these animals.

Muriel Arnal assures that a Japanese delegation was also on site during the operation organized at Marineland. “This certainly allowed the Japanese who will pay millions of dollars for these orcas to see them more closely, before making their final decision”according to her.

“Send them to a worse place”

The Alpes-Maritimes prefecture confirms this training at the start, but specifies that no request for an export permit or health certificate, essential for the trip, has yet been submitted by the park.

“Specialists tell us that there, they are not responsible for anything in terms of their survival”

Muriel Arnal, president of One Voice

at franceinfo

If it is in any case the State which will have the last word, Muriel Arnal does not hide her concern: “We were told: we are taking an animal protection law, we are going to transfer them to sanctuaries. But in the end, this law allows Marineland to have this pretext to send them to a worse place. They will be separated for reproduction”she laments.

One Voice had proposed a sanctuary solution in Canada, a proposal that remained unanswered. For its part, the Marineland park is walled in silence but the tourist office confirms that the orca shows are over, which has also reduced the price of tickets for the year 2024 by 5 euros.

A legal expertise is also planned for next week, on the state of health of the three orcas in the park, while one orca died there last fall. Autopsy results cannot yet explain the cause. Additional examinations were requested by the State.