Following the 2021 law banning cetacean shows, Marineland d'Antibes is closing its doors this Sunday, January 5. The fate of its 4,000 animals is central, particularly for two orcas, for whom the future remains uncertain.
The decision was eagerly awaited. Following the promulgation of the 2021 law against animal abuse, which prohibits cetacean shows, the Marineland water park in Antibes is closing its doors this Sunday, January 5. The fate of the 4,000 animals in “Europe's largest marine zoo” is a major issue, including two orcas that will have to be relocated elsewhere.
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A transfer to a dolphinarium in Spain?
Once mentioned, the option of a transfer to a park in Japan was refused by the Ministry of Ecological Transition last November. Contacted by Europe 1, the “marine zoo” claims to be looking for a destination “equivalent to Marineland in terms of animal welfare”.
A transfer to a park located in the Canary Islands, in Spain, is mentioned. This “is one of the avenues, among others”, insists the park. However, the option does not satisfy the NGO like One Voice, an animal rights association.
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“The dolphinarium in Spain is a very bad solution since the orcas are dying there. Four very young orcas have died in the last four years,” declared the president of One Voice, Muriel Arnal, at the microphone of Europe 1.
Associations campaign for a sanctuary
The president of the association expresses her concern. “We are still worried about whether a correct solution will finally be implemented,” she explains. One Voice, like other NGOs, is campaigning for placement in a sanctuary where the specimens would evolve semi-autonomously.
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This is also what is favored in a report from the General Inspectorate of the Environment and Sustainable Development, published last September.
