Video of Orcas Stranded in Algae-Infested Pools Triggers Fresh Concerns

A video posted on-line of 2 orcas circling in an algae-infested pool in southern France has introduced a recent wave of globally fear for cetaceans Wikie, 24, and her 11-year-old calf Keijo.

France has been suffering to discover a new house for mom and son after their proprietor, a marine park at the French Riviera, closed down over a regulation banning displays that includes marine mammals.

Founded within the town of Antibes in 1970, Marineland closed to the general public in January following a drop in attendance and the 2021 regulation.

In February, the park’s control submitted a request to urgently switch the 2 orcas – sometimes called killer whales – and 12 dolphins to 2 parks in Spain, however the transfer was once blocked by way of Spanish government announcing the amenities had been tailored for them.

frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen>

“The scenario at Marineland Antibes is an emergency,” stated Canada-based NGO TideBreakers in a social media put up after publishing the video.

“Leaving them in a shut-down facility, confined to a crumbling, decrepit tank, is simply not an option,” it stated.

Should the 2 orcas fall sick, they “will likely be euthanised or succumb to the deteriorating environment”.

Here is Tidebreakers’ reliable remark in regards to the scenario of 2 orcas and 12 dolphins last in a close down Marineland Antibes. pic.twitter.com/SVbUAaIvYP

— TideBreakers (@tide_breakers) May 18, 2025

The video, shot by way of drone early this month, displays the 2 orcas and dolphins in tanks the perimeters of which might be inexperienced with algae, amid installations in the past used for different marine animals in brackish water.

Contacted by way of AFP, the park control stated that the orca and dolphin swimming pools remained well-maintained and that about 50 staff had been nonetheless running for the animals’ wellbeing.

The algae visual within the pictures had been a typical phenomenon, it stated, explaining that algae pores provide within the filtered seawater that fills the swimming pools advanced every spring because the water warms up.

They weren’t destructive to the animals and had been continuously got rid of by way of brushing, control stated.

‘Alternative answers’

This rationalization was once sponsored up by way of Mike Riddell, who controlled the park for 26 years earlier than being disregarded in an possession trade in 2006.

AFP photos taken in May 2020 throughout a press consult with confirmed identical superb algae protecting the perimeters of the the pool.

But the TideBreakers photos triggered robust reactions which, in keeping with the park’s control, even integrated loss of life threats in opposition to group of workers.

Officials stated they proportion the NGO’s considerations, however the park’s makes an attempt to seek out an emergency answer in conjunction with the group of workers of France’s setting minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher have come to not anything.

Contacted by way of AFP, ministry officers stated government had been “ensuring that the animals continue to be housed under good conditions, pending their future destination”, and that the park was once in the hunt for “alternative solutions” shifting ahead.

Following the Spanish ban determination, Marineland had was hoping to switch the orcas to a park in Japan. But the transfer was once blocked by way of the French govt, which demanded a switch to a European park with upper welfare requirements.

But an answer involving the one such facility, in Tenerife, Spain, was once vetoed ultimate month by way of the Spanish govt which stated the amenities there “did not meet the requirements”, in keeping with French officers.

NGOs together with One Voice and Sea Shepherd have asked permission to ship experts to Marineland to test at the orcas.

Born in captivity, the 2 mammals are not able to live to tell the tale by myself.

The long term, the French ministry and NGOs agree, must see the established order of a marine sanctuary the place orcas and dolphins might be cared for in semi-wild prerequisites.

Such an answer would value two to a few million euros ($2.2-3.3 million) according to yr, in keeping with Riddell.

It is estimated that Wikie and Keijo nonetheless have a long time to reside, beneath good enough prerequisites.

© Agence France-Presse