Two killer whales have been left stranded in a now-defunct marine park in southern France for the past four months — and the world is only just finding out.
On 11 May, animal rights group TideBreakers released haunting drone footage showing France’s last two captive orcas swimming in algae-filled tanks at the shuttered Marineland Antibes.
The footage quickly sparked international outrage, with critics demanding action and accountability.
The park was forced to close on 5 January this year after new legislation came into effect banning performances involving marine mammals.
While the gates were shut to the public, more than a dozen animals — including two orcas and twelve dolphins — were left behind, according to The London Evening Standard.
Source: @wearetidebreakers on Instagram
Park management is still legally obligated to care for the animals, and a small team of about 50 staff remains on-site. However, activists argue the minimum care standards are woefully inadequate and amount to neglect.
Source: @wearetidebreakers on Instagram
“[They] remain trapped there, waiting for their fate in crumbling tanks,” TideBreakers wrote in the post. “Time is running out!”
The park has tried to rehome the animals, but has hit roadblocks at every turn. The French government rejected two proposed moves, one to Canada and another to Japan, claiming that the long-haul travel would be too stressful for the animals.
According to CBS News, the park also tried to transfer the animals to two parks in Spain. However, the Spanish government blocked the move because the facilities “did not meet the requirements”.
This leaves very few options because the Spanish parks were the only facilities that fit the criteria the French government was looking for — a European park with higher welfare standards.
With French authorities unable to identify another European option, Canada-based group The Whale Sanctuary Project (WSP) have called itself “the only option left”. The group continues to bid to take in the animals despite the French government rejecting them earlier this year.
Source: @wearetidebreakers on Instagram
Because the two orcas grew up in captivity, they would not be able to survive in the wild. As a result, both NGOs and the French government agreed that the best solution would be a sanctuary. In this way, the animals can live in semi-wild conditions.
To that end, the WSP propose relocating the orcas to a semi-wild sanctuary off Nova Scotia, where the whales can live in a more natural, enclosed marine habitat.
But until a decision is made, the two orcas and twelve dolphins will remain at the closed-down marine park.
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Featured image adapted from @wearetidebreakers on Instagram.