Here’s a summarized update regarding Wikie and Keijo from a webinar by the Whale Sanctuary Project (WSP)…
The French Government is to decide their fate in the coming weeks. That decision will be made public by the government. Due to the spirit behind the legislation banning cetacean captivity in France and public outcry relating to the proposed Japan transfer, the government opened a period of time in the month of April for relevant parties to submit “expressions of interest” in regards to the future of Wikie and Keijo.
The webinar describes three of the proposed plans. From the way it’s worded in the webinar, it sounds like these are the three with the most momentum. However, in a news letter WSP released today, it’s stated that transfer to Lori Parque or a facility in Asia is also still on the table. I’ll summarize the three discussed proposals below in no particular order.
Proposal 1- Wikie and Keijo remain at Marineland Antibes on the condition that their current facilities are updated and improved.
Proposal 2- A sanctuary is built in the waters of Northern France. Much is unknown about the feasibility of such a sanctuary as no testing or site location research has been done. WSP states they notified the government that if this is the chosen path, WSP would be happy to assist in whatever capacity is needed.
Proposal 3- The orcas are transported to WSP’s sanctuary in Canada on an “accelerated plan” while the sanctuary is still being built. The whales would be moved to a “bay pen” which seems to be an updated version of what Keiko lived in upon first arriving to his cove in Iceland. The bay pen would be 10 times the size of their current facility in Antibes, divided into several pools, and feature a slide out, scale, and much of the other husbandry equipment at current land based captive orca facilities. The whales would remain in this pen while the entire sanctuary is completed. They make a point of noting this pen though already seemingly quite large, is just a fraction of the size of what the entire sanctuary will be. In the future this bay pen will be used to acclimate other newly arriving whales to the sanctuary. After months of preparation in Antibes, the whales would be transferred to Nova Scotia in Spring to Summer of 2025. It sounds like the bay pen is already in the process of being built regardless of the government’s decision with Wikie and Keijo.
The French Government has informed the WSP as well as other interested organizations that Marineland Antibes has agreed to abide by whatever decision the government makes. The government also said they would spend the month of May reviewing the proposals and release their decision in June.
Regarding the three proposals, I did not intend to show any bias towards one or the other. The reason three is so much longer than the other two is that they simply spent a lot more time talking about it as it is their own proposal.
I’d be happy to put my personal opinion in another post, but wanted to leave it out of this update.
The French Government is to decide their fate in the coming weeks. That decision will be made public by the government. Due to the spirit behind the legislation banning cetacean captivity in France and public outcry relating to the proposed Japan transfer, the government opened a period of time in the month of April for relevant parties to submit “expressions of interest” in regards to the future of Wikie and Keijo.
The webinar describes three of the proposed plans. From the way it’s worded in the webinar, it sounds like these are the three with the most momentum. However, in a news letter WSP released today, it’s stated that transfer to Lori Parque or a facility in Asia is also still on the table. I’ll summarize the three discussed proposals below in no particular order.
Proposal 1- Wikie and Keijo remain at Marineland Antibes on the condition that their current facilities are updated and improved.
Proposal 2- A sanctuary is built in the waters of Northern France. Much is unknown about the feasibility of such a sanctuary as no testing or site location research has been done. WSP states they notified the government that if this is the chosen path, WSP would be happy to assist in whatever capacity is needed.
Proposal 3- The orcas are transported to WSP’s sanctuary in Canada on an “accelerated plan” while the sanctuary is still being built. The whales would be moved to a “bay pen” which seems to be an updated version of what Keiko lived in upon first arriving to his cove in Iceland. The bay pen would be 10 times the size of their current facility in Antibes, divided into several pools, and feature a slide out, scale, and much of the other husbandry equipment at current land based captive orca facilities. The whales would remain in this pen while the entire sanctuary is completed. They make a point of noting this pen though already seemingly quite large, is just a fraction of the size of what the entire sanctuary will be. In the future this bay pen will be used to acclimate other newly arriving whales to the sanctuary. After months of preparation in Antibes, the whales would be transferred to Nova Scotia in Spring to Summer of 2025. It sounds like the bay pen is already in the process of being built regardless of the government’s decision with Wikie and Keijo.
The French Government has informed the WSP as well as other interested organizations that Marineland Antibes has agreed to abide by whatever decision the government makes. The government also said they would spend the month of May reviewing the proposals and release their decision in June.
Regarding the three proposals, I did not intend to show any bias towards one or the other. The reason three is so much longer than the other two is that they simply spent a lot more time talking about it as it is their own proposal.
I’d be happy to put my personal opinion in another post, but wanted to leave it out of this update.
