Justice has decided: the Marineland park will have to submit to an independent assessment on the health of two of its four orcas. Dismissed at first instance, in June 2022, the One Voice association finally obtained this Thursday that Moana, 12 years old, and Inouk, 24 years old, be examined by a veterinarian appointed by the Aix-en Court of Appeal -Provence. The two males suffered in particular from “subdermal lesions […] very worrying” and would require “urgent veterinary care”, according to her.
The decision, a “victory for justice” according to the NGO, should “contribute to benefiting [à ces cétacés] of a life far from shows and concrete pools,” she hopes. On the contrary, for the management of Marineland, “this neutral expertise should make it possible to finally present precise, objective and verifiable facts and not based on reports established by anti-captivity activists who have never examined the animals”, a- she reacted in a press release sent to 20 minutes.
“The pain is continuous”, according to experts cited by One Voice
One Voice indicates that it produced to the court “expert reports of the [vétérinaires] Ingrid Visser, Naomi Rose and David Perpinan highlighting the deleterious state of health of the two oldest males in the group, accompanied by videos of the orcas and the pools. “The pulp of Inouk’s teeth is raw from gnawing on the concrete of the pool” and “according to scientists, the pain is continuous”, supports the association which campaigns for the four orcas of Marineland to be transferred to sea, in a sanctuary.
Before the summer, she assured that the Antibes marine zoo was, on the contrary, considering transferring them to another park in Japan, in anticipation of the application of the law of November 30, 2021 which will prohibit captivity in France from 2026. Asked by 20 minutesmanagement then acknowledged “studying several relocation possibilities” without however “confirming” or “refuting” One Voice’s thesis.
In the meantime, Marineland “will make itself available to the State services and will provide the expert appointed by the court with all the documents and pieces requested in order to prove its professionalism and its commitment to the animals of which it is responsible. has responsibility,” assures its management. “The animal and veterinary teams specializing in wildlife and the technical teams will be keen to demonstrate the quality of the behavioral and dietary programs, as well as the care given to the orcas and the quality of the water,” she also said. precise.