Update, March 28, 2024: We have heard this morning from people in Antibes that Inouk has died in his tank at Marineland Antibes. Our hearts and thoughts go out to his sister Wikie and to his nephew Keijo. They are, once again, a family in ever-deeper distress.
In response to the urgent need of three orcas held in Marineland Antibes, a French marine entertainment park, the Whale Sanctuary Project has developed an accelerated plan that would bring the whales to the sanctuary we are establishing in Nova Scotia in early 2025.
The three whales Wikie, Inouk & Keijo are a genetic family – a mother and her son and her brother – who have been slated to be shipped to a Japanese aquarium, where they will be used for breeding purposes and potentially split apart among different facilities. Such a move would be traumatic for these three orcas, animals known for their cognitive and emotional complexity and deep family bonds. The move would also be inconsistent with legislation recently passed in France to ban the keeping of cetaceans in captivity.
There has been an outcry against this news amongst the French public and other NGOs, and the French government has stepped in to consider alternatives to sending the whales to Japan.
We are fast-tracking sanctuary development with an accelerated plan.Given the urgency of this situation, we are lending the Whale Sanctuary Project’s expertise in rescue, sanctuary and international diplomacy to this effort. We are in ongoing discussions with the French Ministry of Ecology and Biodiversity as it assesses the Nova Scotia sanctuary as a preferred option for the welfare of these orcas.
Jane Goodall has written a letter to the ministry advocating for this sanctuary as the best possible solution for these whales.
We understand that the whales can probably not be moved before early 2025. While the French government’s assessment continues, we are moving forward to be ready to receive these whales at the earliest possible time.
We have already completed much of the necessary work and are fast-tracking sanctuary development with an accelerated plan that includes the design and fabrication of a large bay pen to house the whales prior to the completion of the full perimeter net and the construction of temporary land-based facilities to accommodate staff until full construction is complete.
(Photo courtesy of ppa_Inherently Wild.)