Yesterday, November 25th, in France, the Minister of Ecological Transition announced the following decision, based on concern for the welfare of the whales:
“I have heard the warnings from NGOs about the future of the two orcas at Marineland. Japanese parks are subject to legislation that is less protective of animals than in Europe. In addition, traveling 13,000 kilometers would obviously be dangerous for their health.
“So, I have decided to oppose the transfer of Wikie and Keijo to Japan.”
This is good news for the whales, and Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher clearly appreciated all the messages from NGO’s, global leaders and children.
Going forward, this decision presents two options for Wikie and Keijo: Retirement to the Whale Sanctuary that we are establishing in Nova Scotia; or transfer to Loro Parque Zoo at the Tenerife tourist resort in the Canary Islands.
Our team is working on all fronts to welcome Wikie and Keijo in mid-2025: from diplomatic efforts with government officials and collaboration with other NGOs, to finalizing design and engineering plans and readying the site for development.
The decision between sanctuary and marine park now likely hangs on whether the Whale Sanctuary Project can raise the remaining funds to be ready to welcome Wikie and Keijo in mid-2025. This fundraising effort for Wikie and Keijo must demonstrate we can actualize our plan as soon as possible.
We invite everyone who cares about this mother and her son to spread the word about their story and to donate what you can to give them a new and better life in an ocean sanctuary.
Thank you for supporting this work.
The Whale Sanctuary Project
https://whalesanctuary.org
info@whalesanctuary.org