The Marineland water park in Antibes wants to transfer its last two orcas to Japan

The park says it wants to “anticipate” the ban on cetacean shows and detention, which will come into force on December 1, 2026.

The Marineland water park in Antibes (Alpes-Maritimes) confirmed on Saturday November 23 that it had made a request to the Ministry of Ecological Transition to transfer its last two orcas to a marine zoo located in Kobe in Japan. The public authorities now have two months to respond, according to Marineland, which explains that it wants “anticipate the date of December 1, 2026” to which shows and the detention of cetaceans will be prohibited in France under the law of November 30, 2021.

“As of 2021 and the passing of this law, the park has carried out several research projects to comply with the law which requires us to transfer the orcas and it appeared that Kobe, which respects the standards in force, was the best option”supports Marineland, believing that the solution of a sanctuary in Nova Scotia proposed by animal rights associations is not “not possible”.

“The state of health of the orcas does not, in our opinion, allow their transport”believes on the contrary Muriel Arnal president of the One Voice association.

“We are opposed to this transfer to Japan in basins which are a third of that of Antibes while there is a solution in Nova Scotia.”

Muriel Arnal, president of the One Voice association

quoted by AFP

Two of the four orcas that Marineland held until last year died recently, one from septicemia and the other after ingesting a foreign body. The two surviving orcas, Wikie and her son Keijo, were both born in captivity in this Antibes park, the first in 2001 and the second in 2013.