Alpes-Maritimes. Marineland: A video sparks concern and reignites controversy over the fate of orcas

A video showing orcas and dolphins at Marineland Antibes circling in pools that appear to be abandoned has reignited the controversy this week over the fate of the cetaceans, which has been at an impasse since Spain's veto on their transfer.

"Time is running out!" declared the Canadian-based NGO TideBreakers. While the park was finally closed to the public on January 5 , the orcas Wikie (24 years old) and his son Keijo (11 years old) "await their fate in decrepit tanks" and the twelve dolphins "are left abandoned in algae-infested tanks."

Footage shot in early May using a drone shows the two orcas and the dolphins alone in pools with green algae edges, amid the empty, brackish facilities of the other animals already transferred.

Park management assured that the orca and dolphin pools remained carefully maintained and that around fifty employees were still working to ensure the animals' well-being. As for the algae visible in the images, it appears to be a common occurrence during this season.

Pores of algae present in the filtered seawater that feeds the pools are said to develop every spring when the water warms up. They are not harmful to the animals and are regularly removed by brushing. This version is confirmed by Mike Riddel, who ran the park for 26 years before being unceremoniously dismissed during a change of ownership in 2006.

But the images of Tidebreakers, widely shared on social media, have provoked strong reactions. Some park employees have even received death threats, management denounced.

However, the park shares the NGOs' assessment of the urgent need to find a solution. And while discussions with the Ministry of Ecological Transition continue, nothing has moved forward.

The office of the minister, Agnès Pannier-Runacher , affirmed that the authorities were ensuring "that the animals continue to be welcomed in good conditions, while awaiting their future destination", and that the park was looking for "alternative solutions" for the future.

Closed due to public disenchantment with this park model and the 2021 Animal Welfare Law, which will ban cetacean shows, its main attraction, from the end of 2026, Marineland wanted to transfer its orcas to another park in Japan.

But the government opposed the move in November 2024, demanding a transfer to a European park with more protective standards. The only one equipped for orcas is in Spain's Tenerife, but in mid-April, Madrid vetoed the move, deeming that these facilities "did not meet the requirements," according to Agnès Pannier-Runacher's entourage.

Meanwhile, several NGOs such as One Voice and Sea Shepherd, concerned about the health of Wikie and Keijo, while two other orcas in the park have been dead for 18 months, are asking to be able to send specialists to their bedside and are offering to cover part of the costs.