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In a sprawling aquarium complex in south-eastern France that once drew half a million visitors a year, only a few dozen people now move between pools that contain the last remaining marine mammals of Marineland Antibes. Weeds grow on walkways, the stands are empty and algae grows in the pools, giving the water a greenish hue.
It is here that Wikie and Keijo, a mother and son pair of orcas, are floating. They were born in these pools, and for decades they performed in shows for crowds. But since the park’s closure in January 2025, they no longer have an audience. When they are alone, they “log”, or float at the water’s surface, according to a court-ordered report released last April.
Since 2021, when a French law was passed prohibiting keeping cetaceans in captivity, the question of what to do with Wikie and Keijo has been debated repeatedly. Now it is about to come to a head at a crunch meeting on Monday when the French government, animal welfare organisations and Marineland Antibes will come together to decide their fate.
There are also 12 bottlenose dolphins at Marineland but it has been decided these will remain at the park, in pools the French government says have been deemed suitable for a transitional stay, until a new facility is ready at Beauval zoo in northern France.
Marineland has long acknowledged that there is an urgent need to transfer the orcas. In a statement to the Guardian, it reiterates this: “Marineland has been saying for some time that the park cannot wait any longer.
“The pools are in very poor condition, they are at the end of their useful life, and this directly threatens the wellbeing and lives of the orcas,” it said.
What is up for debate, and has been for some time, is where to move two large marine mammals that require very specific conditions to thrive.
In December 2025 the French minister delegate for ecological transition, Mathieu Lefèvre, announced that Wikie and Keijo would be sent to the Whale Sanctuary Project in Nova Scotia, Canada, calling it the “only ethical, credible, and legally compliant solution”. The 40-hectare (100-acre) outdoor site aims to recreate a seaside environment as close as possible to the natural habitat of whales and dolphins.
Lori Marino, a neuroscientist and founder of the Whale Sanctuary Project, says: “They [the orca pair] will have depth to dive, an interesting and vibrant underwater environment to explore, and conditioning and exercise routines with the trainers.”
On Monday, Marino will present her plan for the orcas at the meeting – but getting it through will not be straightforward. The decision by the French government to opt for the Whale Sanctuary Project has met strong resistance from other animal welfare organisations and Marineland’s owner.
“Nobody is actually working together, that is the problem,” says Marino.
Its opponents’ main concern is that with only months left until Wikie and Keijo are set to arrive at the project, the sanctuary is not yet built, and still lacks $15m (£11m) in funds.
Marineland’s representatives, who oppose the plan, say the sanctuary project is “a hypothetical solution that does not exist”. Instead, they want the killer whales to be transferred somewhere that can take them immediately, such as an aquarium.
With the park closed, the orcas bring in no income, but each of them costs about €500,000 (£435,000) a year just to maintain. Marineland’s owners could recoup some of those funds by selling them to another aquarium.
Last year, Célia de Lavergne, former minister for ecological transition, approved a temporary move to Tenerife’s Loro Parque, but the Spanish government rejected that transfer, leaving Wikie and Keijo in limbo once again. There have also been reports that Marineland has struck a deal with the SeaWorld marine park in Orlando, though Marineland denies this.
Even one of the most ardent anti-captivity organisations, C’est Assez!, says it would no longer oppose a transition to SeaWorld as a solution. This is despite the fact that it once successfully appealed in court to block any transfer of the orcas to other aquariums.
“Given the urgency of the situation and the absence of a viable sanctuary solution, this appears to be the lesser of two evils,” the organisation says.
Such a move would be the easiest option for Wikie and Keijo in logistical terms. It is not uncommon for large marine mammals such as orcas to be transferred from one park to another. Another captive orca named Katina was captured in Iceland and sent to Marineland Canada, then SeaWorld San Diego, SeaWorld Ohio and SeaWorld Orlando, where she died in December 2025 aged about 50.
In a complex process, animals are loaded on to a sling, then lifted by crane into a water-filled box. They are transferred to a truck, then may be transferred again on to a plane depending on the destination.
A move to a sanctuary would follow a similar process, though the preparation would be far more complex. Wikie and Keijo were born and raised in pools, and would need to build up muscle and blubber to adapt to ocean waters. The Whale Sanctuary Project plans to reconstruct a nearby wharf, then construct an inshore bay pen to house the animals while the larger sanctuary is being built.
The influential environmental organisation Sea Shepherd France is calling for a sanctuary in the Mediterranean, but no such place exists. Its initial proposal for a site in Brest, on France’s Atlantic coast, was deemed unfeasible, due in part to pollution.
Nevertheless, the organisation’s opposition to the Nova Scotia sanctuary remains strong. Sea Shepherd France says it is not satisfied with the Whale Sanctuary Project’s public scientific reports from the environmental and engineering firm Strum Consulting showing the waters to be safe and says it wants “independent verification” that the waters are not polluted.
It also claims the waters would be too cold for Wikie and Keijo, who now live in water pumped into the park from the Mediterranean Sea.
“Despite their Icelandic heritage, Wikie and Keijo have only experienced the mild climates of the Mediterranean and we want to improve their welfare, not put their lives at risk,” a spokesperson for Sea Shepherd France says.
Marino pushes back strongly on questions over water quality, stating that detailed data analyses of the waters at the sanctuary have been published, including those provided by independent analysts.
On the water temperature issue, she says: “Wikie and Keijo are Icelandic orcas. Their species thrives in a cold-water environment, and expert veterinarians have expressed no concern over their ability to adapt to the lower temperatures of Nova Scotia.
“The Mediterranean Sea is warming significantly faster than the global average, leading to more intense and frequent heatwaves. Waters at Nova Scotia provide a more stable and adequate water temperature for [the pair].”
All sides hope to find a resolution at Monday’s meeting. But for now, Wikie and Keijo remain where they are as the disagreements continue.
The cetacean expert Naomi Rose, who is on the Whale Sanctuary Project’s board, is keen to point out, however, that while all this internal “warfare” has slowed down progress towards helping the animals, activists and animal welfare organisations are not the ones to blame for the pair’s predicament.
“We have never harmed an orca’s or any other captive cetacean’s welfare in captivity,” she says. “That’s 100% on the industry that has exploited them for almost a century.”
