Concerns are growing for orcas Wikie and Keijo, a mother and son duo left abandoned in a grimy them park tank, with haunting footage of their lonely fate reducing animal lovers to tears
Footage of two orcas left in squalid conditions at an abandoned theme park has reduced people to tears(Image: TideBreakers / SWNS)
Horrifying new footage has emerged which initially appears to show the bodies of two dead orcas floating in a crumbling tank. Sadly, the truth is even more devastating.
Back in January, ahead of new legislation banning orcas from performing in shows, French marine park Marineland of Antibes closed its doors to the public. But the desolate theme park isn’t completely empty.
For many months now, concerns have grown for Wikie and Keijo, a mother and son duo who have now been left abandoned for nearly a year, in silent, grimy conditions.
Haunting drone footage taken by photojournalist Seph Lawless has now shed light on the majestic creatures’ devastating fate, and has reduced many of those who’ve seen it to tears.
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In the caption of the video, which they have shared via Instagram, Seph revealed that they’d initially believed the two orcas to be dead. They wrote: “The mother orca appears dead — her body floating motionless in murky water beside her son. But this wasn’t the ocean. These whales were left behind inside a closed, defunct marine park in France.
“This was all that remained when the crowds disappeared and the park closed forever. But then… she moved. Looking straight up at my drone — curious, gentle, almost relieved. After all this time, they weren’t alone anymore. It was as if they recognised me — as if hope itself had come back to visit.”What happened next was heartbreaking and beautiful. The two began to perform — as if remembering what it meant to be seen. They started to move — slowly at first, then with joy. Leaping, twirling, performing the only language they were ever taught… but this time, there was no crowd. Just me …and their longing to be free.”
There are fears for the orcas’ safety following sad deaths(Image: Instagram/Seph Lawless)
Describing the poignant scenes that unfolded, Seph continued: “Their bodies cut through the still water like memories coming back to life — spinning, rising, falling — as if the ghosts of applause still echoed somewhere in their minds.”They still have hope, and their story isn’t over, unless we let it. To the 55 million people who shared my posts — our voices have already sent waves crashing against the French government. Since the videos my viral [sic], the French government has publicly said they’re now fully engaged. This is the moment we push even harder. Please share their voices with the entire world.”
Although the majority of the 4,000 animals that once called the park home have since been rehoused, Wikie, 23, and Keijo, 11, remain in limbo, alongside 12 bottlenose dolphins. Tragically, as reported by EarthDay back in August, Wikie’s eldest son, Moana, died after contracting a bacterial infection, while her brother, Inouk, died after ingesting a piece of metal found in his tank.
Marine park Marineland of Antibes closed its doors back in January, but not everybody left(Image: Instagram/Seph Lawless)
According to this organisation, “These deaths were almost certainly not inevitable; they were most likely the result of poor hygiene and the stress of long-term confinement. Unless action is taken, Wikie and Keijo could be next.”
It was initially hoped that the mother and son could be moved to Tenerife’s Loro Parque Zoo, but this proposal was ultimately rejected by the local government in Spain. The French government also blocked a proposed rehoming to a marine zoo in Japan, stating the travel would be too strenuous for the animals. What happens next remains unclear, but, worryingly, it looks as though Wikie and Keijo could be looking at a race against time.
Marketa Schusterova, co-founder of Tidebreakers, previously told the Mirror: “We know from reviewing footage [of Marineland] that the tank is causing a hazard, We know that it’s not being cleaned, it’s falling apart. It’s a hazard for these orca every day.
“We are very worried that the situation is so critical, and the water quality is deteriorating to the point that it’s going to cause health issues to these whales, and they’re going to be euthanised before they get a chance to actually see a sanctuary, which is tragic because the male, Keijo, is only 11 years old, the mother is 23. Orcas in the wild can live to human age, outside of captivity they can live to 70 or 80 years old.”
It’s feared that the pair may not be able to adapt to life in the wild (Image: Instagram/Seph Lawless)
Aerial footage previously shared by Tidebreakers shows green slime gathered around the boundary of their pool, while a neighbouring tank is half-filled with murky brown water.
The subject of orcas in captivity has sparked plenty of controversy over the years, with the hard-hitting 2013 documentary Blackfish highlighting the physical and psychological toll such conditions can take on these highly intelligent creatures.
Out in the wild, orcas may swim as far as 100 miles a day, and seeing this boundless freedom reduced to a cramped concrete tank is something that continues to disturb many animal lovers. Sadly, saving Wikie and Keijo isn’t anywhere near as simple as setting them free in the ocean.
Activists are now in a race against time to save the mother-son duo(Image: Instagram/Seph Lawless)
It’s feared that the pair may not be able to adapt to life in the wild and could also endanger the health of orcas already in the open water. Offering a suggestion to this difficult dilemma, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation group wrote: “Following long spells in captivity, some may be too physically or mentally scarred to survive without human care.
“These individuals should be offered the chance to retire and live out the remainder of their lives in a safe enclosure in a natural cove or bay, where their health and welfare needs are taken care of, they can display more natural behaviour, they do not have to perform in shows, and public observation is only from a distance.”
Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com
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