Two orcs and 12 dolphins are trapped in a Marino Park in Riviera French closed after the Spanish authorities refused to let them move to their country.
A French animal welfare law of 2021 and the fall in assistance forced the Marineland Park in Antibes to close this year after more than 50 years of operation.
According to the law, the shows use captive and dolphins orcas, and other animals will be prohibited from December 2026. Marineland has been looking for a new home for Wikie, 24, his 11 -year -old Koijo son and 12 dolphins.
His management had asked two Spanish parks to enjoy whales and dolphins. But a Spanish scientific agency that evaluates the suitability of the facilities “rejects the transfer,” said an official in the French Ministry of Environment.
The Spanish agency concluded that the basins in the Aquarium in Madrid and Loro Parque de Tenerife “did not meet the minimum standards in terms of area, volume and depth.”
“Since we cannot provide authorization from animals to be transferred to Spain,” said the official of the Ministry of France.
The owner of Marineland has been ordered to take care of the animals “pending a future solution,” said the official.
Marineland had tried to take the Orcas and Dolphins to new houses because personnel contracts, however, managers may be needed in mid -April and maintenance work would be needed to maintain their basins in operation.
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But the French government emphasized that, without an immediate alternative, Marineland must continue to take care of animals.
“As are the owners of these animals, they are obviously an answer for their well -being,” said the French official.
Marineland, contacted by AFP, did not make immediate comments.
The Minister of Environment of France, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, announced in February that she wanted to bring together her Spanish, Italian and Greek counterparts to the idea of creating a European marine sanctuary.
But such a reserve could not be operational in less than a year, he said a source in his ministry.
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