On December 4, news broke that Marineland, Europe's largest marine animal park, will close its doors for good on January 5, 2025. The park, located on the sunny Côte d'Azur in the south of France, has welcomed visitors from all over the world for almost six decades, but will now cease operations.
(Photo - An orca performing stunts during a show at Marineland in 2018 - credits Born Free)
A home for 97 animal species
Marineland is currently home to 97 different species of animals, including fish, birds, turtles, seals, sea lions, dolphins and killer whales, according to data from the German mammal database Zootierliste . Despite the rich diversity of animals, concerns have been raised for years about the living conditions of these residents and the ethics of keeping wild animals in captivity.
Animal rights organizations speak out
The closure of Marineland has provoked a lot of reaction, especially from animal welfare organizations. Dr. Mark Jones, head of policy at Born Free, has been highlighting the problems surrounding the keeping of marine mammals in parks like Marineland for decades.
“Keeping and breeding intelligent and socially complex marine mammals in small concrete tanks is unacceptable,” Dr. Jones said. “These animals are deprived of their natural freedom and forced to perform unnatural tricks for entertainment. This is not only degrading but also detrimental to their welfare.”
Born Free has visited the park several times over the past forty years and has consistently found that the animals are living in very unnatural conditions. During their last visit in 2018, they observed orcas and dolphins performing rehearsed shows, throwing themselves onto concrete ledges on command – behaviour that is completely unknown in the wild.
The Last Orcas: A Family Story of Loss
The park is currently home to two orcas: Wikie and her son Keijo. Wikie, born at Marineland in 2001, is the result of a breeding program with wild-caught orcas. Keijo was born in 2013, but the story of this family is marked by tragedy. Wikie’s other son, Moana, passed away in 2023 at just 12 years old, while her brother Inouk passed away earlier this year at the age of 25. The deaths of these animals leave the mother and son as the only survivors of their family at the park.
Why is Marineland closing?
According to Marineland, the closure is a direct result of a decline in visitor numbers since French law banned cetacean shows in November 2021. In a statement, the park said it was looking for “equivalent locations” to relocate the animals, with attention to quality of care and educational value.
However, these plans are not without controversy. Marineland reportedly attempted to transfer the orcas to a dolphinarium in Japan, a place where the living conditions are known to be even worse. Fortunately, this plan was stopped by French authorities, who considered the interests of the animals to be more important than commercial considerations.
A call for sanctuaries
Dr. Jones of Born Free calls for a different approach:
“Relocating the orcas to similar facilities is simply not good enough. The conditions in such locations have never proven to be adequate to meet the needs of these animals. Marineland and the authorities should work with animal welfare organizations to find real sanctuaries where these animals can live a species-appropriate and dignified life.”
The future for Marineland's animals
The closure of Marineland offers an opportunity for change in how we treat wild animals in captivity. Organizations like Born Free and the Dolphinaria-Free Europe coalition continue to work to ensure that the animals from Marineland have a better future.
While closing a park like Marineland is a milestone, it remains a symbol of the broader struggle to create a world where animals are not exploited for entertainment. This may be the end of Marineland, but hopefully it is also the beginning of a new era for animal welfare.
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