PETITION TARGET: French President Emmanuel Macron
Two orcas in France are reportedly being readied to leave the marine park where they are being kept in cruel captivity — but where they are being transferred to has not been disclosed. The mother and son orca may be at risk of being separated and sold to marine parks overseas, as reported by Connexion France. We are calling for these intelligent orcas to be allowed to live in a sanctuary.
Orca Wikie (22) and her son Keijo (10) are awaiting their fate following the recent deaths of their orca relatives who died just six months apart at the Marineland d’Atibes park.
Wikie’s 12-year-old son, Moana, allegedly suffered from lesions before he reportedly died from what the park reportedly described as “acute bacterial septicaemia” (or bacterial blood poisoning), according to Connexion France. A few months later, Wikie’s brother, Inouk, tragically died after swallowing a small piece of metal, causing severe abdominal inflammation, as reported by dayFREURO.
Injuries and early death are tragically common for orcas kept in captivity. The longer Wikie and Keijo remain in captivity, the more at risk they are of dying.
Orcas also suffer emotionally in captivity. These whales are extremely intelligent, highly social animals who live and travel in close-knit, multi-generational families called pods. Scientists have witnessed whales grieving the loss of their pod members, showing depressive-like behaviors, including “weeping,” according to Smithsonian.
Orcas also have an innate need to exercise, swimming up to 40 miles per day and diving as deep as 500 feet multiple times each day. Living in captivity cannot provide this amount of activity and has proven to cause zoochosis in orcas — unnatural patterns that can lead to self-harm due to boredom and stress, according to National Geographic. This could be seen in the toothless Inouk, who wore his teeth down to nubs chewing on the pool’s cement, which also caused mouth ulcers and abscesses.
No orca should suffer in captivity or be made to “entertain” humans.
Sign our petition for Wikie and Keijo be sent to a reputable sanctuary where they will be protected and allowed to safely enjoy natural orca behaviors for the rest of their lives together.
UPDATE (11/29/2025): A Spanish scientific agency denied the transfer of the whales and dolphins to an aquarium in Madrid and a zoo in Tenerife, Spain, after determining that neither facility had pools large enough to accommodate them. For now, Marineland in Antibes, France, is required to continue providing care for the animals until a suitable alternative is identified.
Drone footage from TideBreakers showed the two whales and twelve dolphins circling their deteriorating, algae-filled tanks at Marineland Antibes. Trainers have also been seen manually sexually stimulating Keijo, the young male orca, in what they describe as an attempt to “reduce sexual tension” with his mother. The practice reportedly happens once per month.
Footage captured by @sephlawless showed Wikie floating next to Keijo in the filthy tank, seemingly lifeless until she lifted her head toward the drone overhead. Moments later, both orcas began leaping out of the water and performing, as if still trapped in the routine of entertaining crowds.
Unfortunately, Wikie is said to be seriously ill and battling a respiratory infection, which may have been caused by construction dust stirred up during recent tank repairs.
We will continue to monitor this situation and share any updates as they become available. — Lady Freethinker
