The Marineland of Antibes, the largest marine zoo in Europe, plans a “permanent closure” of its cetacean shows on January 5.
The Marineland water park in Antibes (Alpes-Maritimes), which presents itself as the first marine zoo in Europe, made this announcement after invoking the 2021 law, which prohibits cetacean shows.
A transfer of orcas to Japan has created controversy
Established on the Côte d'Azur since 1970, Marineland has sparked controversy in recent months by considering the transfer of its last two orcas to a Japanese park, to the great dismay of animal defenders and the Minister of Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier -Runacher, who opposed it at the end of November.
The plan to close the park, which employs 103 employees, was announced to the Social and Economic Committee (CSE) on Wednesday morning, said the park management.
Attendance in free fall
“While 90% of visitors choose to come to Marineland to admire representations of orcas and dolphins, the law of November 30, 2021, prohibiting cetacean shows, requires Marineland to consider this closure,” explains the press release, which also highlights a continuous drop in attendance, going from 1.2 million to 425,000 visitors per year in ten years.
With some 4,000 animals of 150 different species (orcas, dolphins, sea lions, turtles and numerous fish and corals), Marineland sets itself as “priority objectives” to “relocate all of its animals in the best existing structures to date” , and to “negotiate in the coming weeks with the social partners the social consequences of this closure project”
