We must save Wikie. But unlike the cult film, it is not a rebellious little boy Jesse who will save the orca but perhaps the Secretary of State for Biodiversity, Sarah El Haïry. The latter announced this Sunday that it had launched an inspection to check the state of health of the three orcas at Marineland in Antibes a few weeks after the death of a 12-year-old male, Moana.
“Following worrying reports received about the state of health of the orcas at Marineland Antibes, I contacted my services who will conduct an inspection in order to check their state of health,” wrote Sarah El Haïry on X (ex-Twitter).
Three orcas still in captivity
These reports were made by animal protection associations, who believe that the state of health of these orcas is deteriorating, a member of the Secretary of State’s office told AFP. Since the results of the post-mortem examination of Moana, intended to understand the reasons for her death, have still not been revealed, the services of the State Secretariat wanted to send a veterinarian to the site to obtain information more quickly, he added.
Orcas generally live for several decades and, even in captivity, some have reached fifty. Moana’s mother, Wikie (22 years old) still lives there, with Inouk (23 years old) and Keijo (9 years old), all three born in Antibes.
Cetacean shows soon to be banned
In September, at the insistent request of the One Voice association, the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal ordered an expert opinion on the state of health of Moana and another orca, as well as on the conditions life of Marineland orcas. Marineland then committed to collaborating.
Opened in 1970, the Marineland park in Antibes says it welcomes 750,000 visitors per year in a normal year. It is preparing for the entry into force of the law against animal abuse, which will prohibit cetacean shows from December 2026 and, unless exempted, the keeping of orcas and dolphins in captivity in the park.