Posted on 05/05/2026 6:17:23 AM PDT by Cronos
At a closed marine park in the south of France, two orcas swim lonely circles in an aging tank, its walls caked with green algae. Their fate has become a drama in France, where the government must decide soon whether to transfer them to another marine park or release them into a sanctuary in the sea.
While the prospect of sending them into nature is appealing, evoking a sense of restitution for captive mammals, critics argue it is both experimental and unrealistic. These orcas — a female, Wikie, 25, and her son Keijo, 13 — were born in Marineland, the shuttered park in Antibes, and have never had to survive in the wild.
The park closed in January 2025 after 55 years, a victim of the coronavirus pandemic, which crushed attendance, and animal welfare legislation from 2021. The law banned most shows involving marine mammals like orcas, reducing the park’s appeal to tourists.
Some accuse the government of dragging its feet in finding a solution. “I just get this feeling that they’re just waiting for the orcas to die to solve the problem,” said Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an antipoaching and marine-conservation group. He is lobbying for European countries to finance the construction of a marine sanctuary in Europe.
There are two options. France can either transfer the orcas to a park similar to Marineland, most likely Loro Parque on the Spanish island of Tenerife. Or it can move them to an area at sea protected by nets, like a planned 100-acre open-water sanctuary in a cove on the Canadian coast, called the Whale Sanctuary Project.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
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What would Jacques Cousteau do?
But, space costs money. France lacks the wealth to create the space required.
The US has been keeping Orcas in captivity for entertainment for decades.
Since this old man was a kid at least.
https://seaworld.com/san-diego/events/summer-spectacular/shamu-and-crew/
Chumps.
While wild orcas can travel up to 100 miles a day and dive 1,000 feet, captive orcas are confined to tanks that are tiny fractions of their natural habitat, often only 100-140 feet long and 25-35 feet deep.
yup, I agree with you
I concur.
According to AI, "Killer Whales, or orcas, can live up to 50-90 years in the wild, with females generally outliving males by several decades. In captivity, their lifespan is significantly shorter, often only reaching 20-30 years."
Orcas are beautiful animals. Smart, too...
“orcas, can live up to 50-90 years in the wild, with females generally outliving males by several decades. In captivity, their lifespan is significantly shorter, often only reaching 20-30 years.” “
yes it is a tragedy what is happening to them
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