Orcas Wikie and Keijo to be moved from France's Marineland to Spain's Loro Parque

French Minister of Ecological Transition Mathieu Lefèvre approved the transfer of two captive orcas, mother Wikie and her calf Keijo, from Marineland Antibes to the Loro Parque zoo in Tenerife. The decision was justified by the French government as a response to the deteriorating condition of Marineland’s facilities, despite earlier statements supporting France’s ban on cetacean captivity for entertainment.

Animal‑welfare groups have challenged the move. The Fundación para el Asesoramiento y Acción en Defensa de los Animales (FAADA) warned it will pursue legal action if the transfer proceeds, citing concerns that Loro Parque’s tanks lack sufficient capacity and that the whales would be placed in a concrete environment. A CSIC report also concluded that Loro Parque’s facilities are inadequate for the orcas.

If carried out, the whales would be relocated to a concrete tank in the Spanish Canary Islands, raising questions about the future of cetacean sanctuaries and the broader policy on captive marine mammals in Europe.