Dr. Jane Goodall
In a letter to the French Government on February 29th, 2024, Dr. Jane Goodall strongly endorsed the Whale Sanctuary Project’s proposal for the retirement and relocation of the orcas Wikie, Inouk and Keijo from Marineland Antibes, a marine theme park in the south of France, to the sanctuary we are establishing in Nova Scotia.
The death of Inouk, just a month later on March 28th, only underscores the urgency of transferring Wikie and Keijo to the sanctuary.
Since the beginning of this year, the Whale Sanctuary Project has been in discussion with the French government about the future of this family of orcas. Three years ago, the government banned the importing or breeding of whales and dolphins and set in motion a ten-year plan to end keeping them in captivity at all.
The French government’s decree was very good news for all cetaceans, but it did leave open the question of what would happen to whales who are currently on display in France. And while Marineland’s plan to send the orcas to an aquarium in Japan complies with the letter of the government’s decree, the prospect of the whales being simply moved from a concrete tank in one country to a concrete tank in another is very troubling and not in keeping with the spirit of giving captive whales and dolphins a better life.
The Whale Sanctuary Project’s proposal continues to be that Marineland Antibes join with us and with the French government in a unique collaboration to retire the remaining two orcas, Wikie and Keijo, to the sanctuary we are establishing in Nova Scotia.
Dr. Goodall’s letter to the French Inspection Générale de l’Environnement et du Développement Durable only adds further urgency to this effort.
Here is the text of Dr. Goodall’s letter, and a pdf of the letter follows this text:
29 February 2024
Mr Olivier Robinet
Inspecteur Général Milieux, ressources et risques |
Inspection Générale de l’Environnement et du Développement Durable
France
Dear M. Robinet,
Endorsement of the Whale Sanctuary Project’s proposal for relocating Orcas from Marineland Antibes to a suitable location
I am writing to you in support of the proposal being made by the Whale Sanctuary Project to transfer the three orcas Wikie, Inouk and Keijo from Marineland Antibes to the sanctuary the organization is establishing in Nova Scotia.
Having spent my life studying and working with mammals of all kinds, I am persuaded that it would be harmful for the orcas to be sent to another entertainment facility – this one in Japan – and that the Nova Scotia sanctuary offers them the opportunity to spend the rest of their lives in a natural setting while still receiving human care.
Much of my own focus has been on chimpanzees, who are highly intelligent, social animals who need a complex environment. When I set up sanctuaries in Africa for chimpanzees, critical voices said this could not be done. However, nowadays the Jane Goodall Institute cares successfully for some 200 chimpanzees in sanctuaries in Africa. Orcas, too, are intelligent, emotionally sensitive, and highly social. They cannot thrive in a setting that deprives them of the ability to explore a natural environment and choose how to spend their days without being burdened by having to entertain human audiences. Demanding orcas to perform day after day the same circus tricks for dead fish is no longer keeping up with our values and standards of animal welfare. Not only I, but many people agree that this must stop globally.
A sanctuary environment will provide them with their first-ever opportunity to live out their lives in a stimulating environment where they have the space they need to swim and dive, and, most importantly, to begin to have a level of autonomy and choice in how they spend their days. I recommend that the Ministry do all possible to ensure that these orcas can be moved to the cetacean sanctuary in Nova Scotia. My staff work closely with the Whale Sanctuary Project, and we fully support their high professional standards of animal care.
Sincerely,
Dr, Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace.
A pdf of the letter is embedded below:
Letter from Dr Jane Goodall regarding support for transfer of Orcas