Whale Sanctuary Project

At a special hearing in the city of Niagara Falls on February 18th, an attorney for Marineland Canada told the Committee for Adjustment that Marineland is transitioning to new ownership and that it needs a loan “to maintain the property and the mammals.” He added that the loan Marineland has secured “requires the owner to remove the marine animals from the property EXPEDITIOUSLY.” What does this mean for the 31 belugas at Marineland? The chairman of the committee told its members that they would simply be voting on a legal technicality that had nothing to do with the welfare of the animals. But “expeditiously” removing marine animals has everything to do with the welfare of the whales, especially considering that Marineland has not revealed how it plans to remove them or where they might be going. In our latest blog post, we include what Dr. Lori Marino told the committee, along with the letter sent to the committee by Melissa Matlow, campaign director for the Canadian chapter of World Animal Protection. Also present at the hearing was retired Senator Wilfred Moore, who, in 2016, introduced the Ending the Captivity of Whales & Dolphins Act to Parliament. He reminded the committee that a key element of the law is “to provide for the best interests of the cetaceans' welfare.” Other speakers pressed the committee to avoid a hasty decision until Marineland ensures that the animals are not being consigned to an undisclosed future (potentially a marine park in China) that gives them little or no consideration. The committee nonetheless approved Marineland’s request, and it is not yet clear what will happen to the marine animals. Over the 64 years since 1961, when Marineland first put whales and dolphins on show, these animals have entertained millions of people and made many millions of dollars in profits. It is beyond time to acknowledge that we owe those who are still alive a humane retirement. Right now, the Whale Sanctuary Project is talking with people in government, with other NGOs, and with people in the media about how these whales could be considered an urgent national priority. Read more on the blog. #marinelandbelugas #marinelandcanada #belugawhales ?https://lnkd.in/g7d9shb2

New blog post: An update on the orcas Wikie & Keijo at Marineland Antibes in France and the 31 beluga whales at Marineland Canada. #marinelandbelugas #wikieandkeijo

Yesterday, February 16th, 2025, the Whale Sanctuary Project sent the following letter to the French Minister of Ecological Transition?in response to her expressing interest in creating a sanctuary in collaboration with Italy, Spain and Greece as a possible solution to the plight of the orcas Wikie and Keijo at Marineland Antibes. Our letter explains that while a coastal sanctuary in Greece or elsewhere in the Mediterranean may be a viable solution for dolphins, it is not a solution for orcas. The Whale Sanctuary Project is committed to supporting any sanctuary solution for Wikie and Keijo, whether in Nova Scotia or elsewhere, that can ensure and maximize their well-being. #wikieandkeijo

We have received a letter from?Célia de Lavergne, directrice de l'eau et de la biodiversité, of the French Ministry of Ecological Diversity, stating that the Ministry has rejected our application for Wikie and Keijo to come to the sanctuary in Nova Scotia. To see the government’s rationale, along with our response, check out our blog post here. #wikieandkeijo

Marineland Antibes, located near Cannes in the south of France, has now permanently closed its doors. The closure, on January 5th, was driven by new animal welfare legislation passed in 2021, which bans shows featuring dolphins and whales and will come into effect at the end of next year. Regarding the future of the two surviving orcas, Wikie and her son Keijo, Marineland’s preferred option was to sell them to another entertainment park. This obviously violated the spirit of the law. And so, in February 2024, the Whale Sanctuary Project publicly?proposed a collaboration?with Marineland Antibes in the south of France to retire Wikie and Keijo to the sanctuary we are establishing in Nova Scotia. Over the last year, we have been in ongoing contact with the French government. And we continue to work as diligently as ever to bring Wikie and Keijo to Nova Scotia where they can enjoy their lives in the natural environment of an ocean sanctuary. Your support in helping to make this possible is greatly appreciated, and we will continue to share updates on our work for Wikie and Keijo. #wikieandkeijo #orcas #whalesanctuary

From all of us on the Whale Sanctuary team, our very best wishes to you and yours for a peaceful Holiday and a healthy and happy New Year. Special thanks to the students at Schluter Elementary School in Texas for their amazing artwork, and to 4th grade teacher Rachel Friend, for helping to create a more compassionate future for whales. #whales #orcas #belugawhales #kidscanchangetheworld #compassionforanimals #compassion #maketheworldbetter #whalesanctuary #whaleswithoutwalls #happyholidays2024

Join us for an end-of-year webinar: 2024 Year in Review: The Sanctuary, the Whales, the Future Wednesday, December 18th at 7:00pm Eastern Time. As 2024 ends, we enter a critical phase in our effort to complete the sanctuary and welcome the first whale residents. We invite everyone who supports and follows the work of the Whale Sanctuary Project to join us for a gathering that will detail the project’s most pressing updates and discuss the crucial support still needed to bring it to life. The year began with our formal proposal to?Marineland Antibes, a theme park in the south of France, to retire a?family of orcas?– Wikie, Inouk and Keijo – to the whale sanctuary in Nova Scotia. And the year ends with our expectation that, any day now, the French Minister of Ecological Transition will issue a decision over whether Wikie and Keijo (sadly, Inouk died in March) should come to the sanctuary or be sent to the Loro Parque Zoo in the Canary Islands. At this year-end wrap-up webinar, Dr. Lori Marino, our founder and president, and Charles Vinick, our executive director, will review the urgent international diplomacy, fundraising efforts, and developments at the sanctuary site that have been at the heart of our work to save Wikie and Keijo from further grief and loss. Charles and Lori will also discuss how we may be able to help the 30 surviving beluga whales at Marineland Canada, along with the Letter of Intent we have signed with LotteWorld Aquarium in South Korea to bring the lone beluga whale Bella to the Nova Scotia sanctuary. All three of these situations point to the growing need for a global sanctuary movement to address the plight of whales and dolphins in captivity around the world. And these will be the topics for a review of this pivotal year – along with a look ahead at the progress to come in 2025. Join us on Wednesday, December 18th at 7:00 PM Eastern. REGISTER HERE:?https://bit.ly/4glSfze

Kids voices matter. NBC 5 DALLAS FORT WORTH went to Schluter Elementary School in Haslet, Texas today to talk with 4th grade teacher Rachel Friend and her students about how their letters for orcas Wikie and Keijo reached the French Minister, Agnès Pannier-Runacher. After learning that the decision for Wikie and Keijo’s fate was in the hands of the Minister, the students started a letter writing campaign aimed at asking the Minister to relocate the mother and son orcas to the Whale Sanctuary in Nova Scotia, rather a marine park in Japan. A few weeks later the Minister posted on her Instagram page that she made the decision to oppose a transfer to Japan for the orcas, and she also shared a drawing of Wikie and Keijo that came from one of Rachel’s student's, Ellie James. When asked by reporter Noelle Walker how she felt about her letter reaching the Minister, Ellie said, "Makes me feel like I can do a lot more to prove, even though I'm a kid, I can prove stuff. Even though I'm a kid, everyone thinks we're just too little, and no...kids can also change the world!" And no matter what the final decision from France is for Wikie and Keijo, these students have already been victorious in their advocacy, learning how powerful their voices are. #kidscanchangetheworld #teacherschangetheworld #wikieandkeijo Watch the full story here:

On this #GivingTuesday, we thank you for joining us in what has become a global movement to bring fundamental change to the way people relate to whales and dolphins. ? With your support, we can create a world in which captive whales and dolphins are retired to ocean sanctuaries, where they can live out their lives in natural environments while still receiving a lifetime of human care. ? Thanks to you, each day we grow more inspired and hopeful that lasting change is on the horizon.? And it is already happening around the world. ? Canadian law has established a permanent ban on dolphin and whale captivity. Across Europe – including France, the UK, Switzerland, Croatia, Barcelona and Belgium – there are strict regulations or bans on marine mammal captivity. India has banned cetacean captivity, and South Korea has banned the purchasing of whales for display. Numerous countries in Central and South America are working to do the same. ? Establishing a model coastal whale sanctuary will play a key role in bringing an end to using whales and dolphins as a form of entertainment. With your continued support, we can chart a more harmonious future for the human-whale relationship and inspire future generations to relate to these beings with the respect and reverence they deserve. ? People who care about improving the lives of whales and dolphins are among the most passionate individuals in the world. We are grateful for the chance to work with such a diverse array of minds and hearts. Together we can make the world a better place for cetaceans! This #GivingTuesday your donation, large or small, can give these whales a new life in a natural environment with all the special care they need. Thank you for being a part of this global movement. #backtonature #whaleswithoutwalls #orcas #belugas #whalesanctuary #dolphins #endcetaceancaptivity #whaleswithoutwalls #respect #reverence Donate here: https://lnkd.in/eNfpmMBY

FRENCH MINISTER OPPOSES TRANSFER OF WIKIE & KEIJO TO JAPAN On November 25th, in France, the Minister of Ecological Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, announced her decision, based on concern for the welfare of the whales: “I have heard the warnings from NGOs about the future of the two orcas at Marineland. Japanese parks are subject to legislation that is less protective of animals than in Europe. In addition, traveling 13,000 kilometers would obviously be dangerous for their health. So, I have decided to oppose the transfer of Wikie and Keijo to Japan.” This is good news for the whales and Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher clearly appreciated all the messages from NGO’s, global leaders and children. Going forward, this decision presents two options for Wikie and Keijo: retirement to the Whale Sanctuary that we are establishing in Nova Scotia; or transfer to Loro Parque Zoo at the Tenerife tourist resort in the Canary Islands. Read more on the blog: https://lnkd.in/geJGypCR #wikieandkeijo #france #whalesanctuary #orcas #compassion