Global Captive Orca Population

Wikie was less than one year old when Shouka left Antibes though...
I still wouldn’t have been surprised if there was a desire to reunite the ML orcas with their only remaining relative.
IDK, at this point I have trouble imagining the French government saying yes to a transfer to Seaworld but no to Loro Parque. I
I think the problem largely hinges on Loro Parque’s questionable care practices. They did well for many years when Seaworld owned the orcas and supervised their care, however since the sale to LP, things have dropped off a bit. Loro Parque still care for their orcas the best that they can (obviously), but they don’t have the superior care that Seaworld could provide - hence Seaworld likely being favored by the ministry.
 
But what exactly could the French government even do if Loro Parque did violate a potential no breeding clause? They could hardly take the whales back!

Well that's the problem, right – it's hard to enforce. Technically you can insert a lot of different clauses in a contract, with financial penalties if said clauses are violated. However, I doubt that either Marineland or the French government cares enough at this point to go to such lengths... In any event, the Spanish government does not appear to want the transfer, so Seaworld may end up as the least unviable option. Seaworld could then claim it's accepting the orcas for purely animal welfare reasons ("either we take them or they waste away").
 
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