The fate of France’s last two captive, performing killer whales, Keijo and Wikie, remains uncertain following the decision made on Sunday by their current home – the French marine park, Marineland Antibes – to close its doors to the public permanently.

The move had been spurred by a recently passed piece of legislation in France which will outlaw killer whale and dolphin performances from December 2026. Marineland Antibes has stated that without these performances, it will be unable to afford to remain open.

It’s a decision that now leaves some 4,000 animals from across 150 species looking for new homes. This includes the two killer whales who had – in earlier years – been two of a pod of four homed at Marineland Antibes and the star attractions for the park’s visitors.

Finding a new home for both Keijo and Wikie is becoming crucial. Both orca were born and reared in captivity, making a release into the wild a wholly unviable option. They are two of a recorded 54 killer whales left in captivity across the world, according to the cetacean charity, Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

Marineland Antibes has been in recent discussions with various parks across the world in the search for a suitable new home for the pair of orca. One such option that had been tabled towards the end of last year was for a transfer to an aquarium in Japan.

The proposal became the focus of some weighty campaigning from whale conservationists, who were quick to highlight that rules and regulations around animal care in Japanese parks are significantly less protective than those in Europe. 

On November 25th, 2024, France’s Minister of Ecological Transition, Agnés Pannier-Runacher, after weighing up arguments made by NGOs and the great distance the whales would have to travel, made the decision to block the proposal. 

“I have heard warnings from NGOs about the future of the two orcas at Marineland. Japanese parks are subject to legislation that is less protective of animals than in Europe. In addition, traveling 13,000 kilometres would obviously be dangerous for their health,” said Pannier-Runacher upon making the decision.

The move to block the proposal was met with open arms by the conservation community, chief among them the team behind the The Whale Sanctuary Project, a type of ‘retirement home’ for rehabilitated performing killer whales. Situated in Nova Scotia, the Sanctuary is still under construction but promises that by completion (which is projected to be sometime towards the end of 2026) will be able to provide full-time care, full-time feeding, with oversight from full-time veterinarians and care staff.

In conversation with Tortoise Media, Charles Vinick, the executive director of the project, said that whales at the Sanctuary will receive “the same amount of care, room to dive, swim, and the ability to experience a natural sea floor and waves.”

While another option being weighed is Loro Parque Zoo in the Canary Islands, the Sanctuary itself maintains it is “the only way forward that meets all the French government regulations” and gives Wikie and Keijo “the kind of life where they are cared for in a dynamic, stimulating ocean environment filled with plants and animals” and where they will be “given as much autonomy as possible.”

“They will never be used for breeding. They will never be separated,” said the Sanctuary.

The decision to move the two orca to the Sanctuary in Nova Scotia will need the full cooperation of Marineland Antibes and its staff. It will also depend entirely on The Whale Sanctuary Project securing the necessary funding to complete the first phase of construction – the installation of a bay pen and land-based facilities.

The coastal sanctuary that the Whale Sanctuary Project is establishing is situated in Port Hilford Bay, Nova Scotia. This protected bay will offer its resident whales more than 100 acres (40 hectares) of water space with depths up to 18 metres. It will also ensure that family groups are kept together.

“Orcas are highly intelligent, emotionally sensitive, and socially bonded animals,” said Dr Lori Marino, founder and president of the Whale Sanctuary Project. “In the ocean, they live in strong family groups and their emotional and behavioural health is intimately connected with their social group.”

Over recent years, public opinion has helped fuel a global movement to bring an end to keeping cetaceans in captivity for the purpose  of entertainment, spurred in part by the Netflix documentary Blackfish. At the height of its popularity, Marineland Antibes was bringing in around 1.2 million visitors each year. In more recent times, that number has plummeted to just 425,000 a year. 

“In working cooperatively and in collaboration with the entertainment industry, we look forward to a time when cetaceans are no longer confined to concrete tanks and have all been retired to authentic sanctuaries,” said the Whale Sanctuary Project.

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