Newly released drone footage from an abandoned marine park is sparking outrage across the globe.
The video is from activist group TideBreakers.
It shows a dozen dolphins and two orcas, Wikie and Keijo, swimming in an algae-covered tank:
Posted by TideBreakers on Friday, May 16, 2025
“Leaving them in a shut-down facility, confined to a crumbling, decrepit tank, is simply not an option,” TideBreakers said in a statement online. “If these whales become ill, this bonded pair – an mother and her son – will likely be euthanized or succumb to the deteriorating environment.”
The video is of Marineland Antibes, Europe’s largest marine zoo, which closed its doors in January.
The BBC says the zoo closed because of a new law banning the use of these creatures in live performances.
According to The Standard, Marineland Antibes management has been scrambling to find a suitable home for the marine life since the closure, but it’s faced some roadblocks.
The government rejected two plans to move Wikie and Keijo, according to the BBC:
One would’ve moved them to Japan. The Marineland managers reportedly backed this plan, but campaigners worried the mammals would receive worse treatment there.
The other would’ve rehomed them at a marine zoo in Spain, but some worried the orcas would be forced to perform there. According to the BBC, there have been several deaths at that facility in the last few years.
So what’s next?
“We are ready to work with the French government, with Marineland Antibes, and with any and all other organizations to bring Wikie and Keijo to the sanctuary we are preparing in Nova Scotia,” The Whale Sanctuary Project (WSP) stated online.
TideBreakers, however, noted that WSP it doesn’t yet have a physical site.
“They still don’t have permits and construction hasn’t even begun,” the activist group posted online.
One thing is for certain: time is of the essence to find a solution for the abandoned marine life.
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