Heartbreaking footage shows two orcas left trapped in enclosure in abandoned marine park months after closing

Two orcas, Wikie and her son Keijo, are still trapped in a closed-down marine park in France, months after it shut its doors. The marine park, Marineland Antibes, closed in January, but the orcas remain inside a now-abandoned facility. A sad video shows them swimming in circles in a small enclosure, looking lost and without purpose.

Both orcas were born in captivity and have never lived in the wild. Animal welfare groups and French authorities are now trying to find them a new, better home. One group, The Whale Sanctuary Project in Canada, has offered to take them to a peaceful ocean-based sanctuary in Nova Scotia. The president of the group, Lori Marino, says their site is the best—and maybe only—real option left for the whales. She explained that they’ve already done environmental checks and water testing and even received permission from the Canadian government to use the area.

However, earlier this year, the French government turned down their offer, saying there were environmental concerns. Instead, French ecology minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher has said she hopes to find a sanctuary for Wikie and Keijo somewhere in Europe.

Meanwhile, some zoos around the world have told the French authorities they are ready to take the orcas. But animal rights activists are strongly against moving them to any zoo. They argue that the whales deserve a large, open space to swim in natural sea water, not another small tank where they’ll be made to perform or breed.

Lori Marino responded by saying if there’s no real sanctuary site ready in Europe, then it could take years before such a place is actually prepared for the orcas. She insisted that the Canadian sanctuary is ready now.

David Phillips, from the Earth Island Institute in California, also backed the idea of sending the orcas to the Canadian site. He said that keeping orcas in concrete tanks is harmful and unnatural. Phillips also praised the Spanish government for blocking a plan that would have moved Wikie and Keijo to a zoo in Tenerife. He said the tanks at that zoo were unsafe and not suitable for the whales.

Sadly, it’s not just the orcas who are stuck. Around twelve dolphins are still living at the abandoned Marineland Antibes too. These animals continue to wait for a better life while governments and groups argue over the best way to help them.