French Minister for Ecological Transition and Energy, Agnès Pannier-Runacher has announced she opposes the move of the last remaining orcas at Marineland, Antibes, (Wikie and Keijo her son), to a facility in western Japan due to the country’s lack of animal welfare regulations.
However, she also commented that there are parks currently able to accommodate the two orcas, which are subject to European regulations, one of which is Loro Parque a Spanish zoo located on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain. Loro Parque currently holds three orcas: Tekoa (M-24 years old), Morgan (F-16 or 17 years old) and Adàn (M-14 years old). The future of Wikie and Keijo now hangs in the balance, and a decision about where they will go will be made soon.