Last year, it was reported that two orcas were ‘at risk of death’ after they were left behind in a shut-down French Riviera tourist attraction.
Marineland of Antibes closed down in January 2025, with animal captivity regulations increasing in the country playing a part.
But 23-year-old mum Wilkie and her 11-year-old son, Keijo, remained in their enclosure with concerns raised over their wellbeing.
And now, experts have raised ‘urgent’ fears for them as they are still in their ‘rotting’ tank.
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The idea of the pair sitting in a grimy enclosure with fears it could collapse pretty much contrasts everything we know about the animals. Orca whales require a healthy marine ecosystem with cleanliness, lots of socialisation and plenty of mental stimulation.
While they are being looked after, there are calls for Wilkie and Keijo to be moved.
A court blocked an attempt to move the pair to an operational marine park in Japan, leaving the pair in the French enclosure.
The whales are still in good health, but their quality of life is indisputably low, with claims the condition of their pools pose a major risk.
Risk management agent and whale specialist at Forward Global Valentin Ducros has expert knowledge of the situation and has great concern for the orcas’ future.
He told The Mirror that there’s an ‘urgent need to transfer the animals to a facility that is immediately operational’.
Ducros did, however, assure that they are in ‘good health’ and that there are caretakers looking after them ‘every day of the year’.
There is a bare-bones staff at Marineland now, and the facility has said Wilkie and Keijo need to ‘leave now’ for welfare reasons. The team are able to meet legal care requirements with feeding etc, but they aren’t giving much in terms of that crucial mental enrichment.
Ducros explained that animals like this in captivity are typically ‘kept busy all day’ as ‘cognitive development is essential’.
“It has been emphasised once again that the situation of the orcas is extremely urgent,” the expert continued, “that the pools could collapse at any moment, causing the death of the animals, and that there are immediate operational solutions that should be implemented without delay by the authorities."
In December, the French government declared that the pair should be transferred to the Whale Sanctuary Project's (WSP) proposed sanctuary in Canada. It said they are ‘destined’ to join it, potentially as soon as this summer. However, there are fears this project is nowhere near ready.
Co-founder of Tidebreakers, Marketa Schusterova, warned: “Quite simply, if Wikie and Keijo are left in these conditions, they're going to get sick and die.” She suggested the pair need to be put in temporary holding facilities for their needs while something permanent is developed as their current enclosure is not good enough.
Schusterova added: “We are very worried that the situation is so critical, and the water quality is deteriorating to the point that it's going to cause health issues to these whales, and they're going to be euthanised before they get a chance to actually see a sanctuary.”
Campaigning continues to relocate the mother and son.
Topics: Animals, Environment, World News
Jess Battison