Orcas ‘left for dead’ inside abandoned marine park get last-minute lifeline after 16 month hell

TWO orcas “left for dead” inside an abandoned French marine park have been given a last-minute lifeline after 16 months of hell.

Mother-and son duo Wilkie and Keijo have been trapped in a deteriorating enclosure at Marineland Antibes ever since the amusement park closed its doors last January.

Wildlife experts have repeatedly raised alarm over the shocking conditions the pair have endured, warning the whales desperately need clean water, social interaction and mental stimulation to survive.

Campaigners feared the orcas would die inside the deserted park after months of delays over where they could be moved.

French president Emmanuel Macron previously assured activists that action would be taken, but little progress was made as officials struggled to find the whales a new home.

Releasing the pair into the wild was also ruled out because Wilkie and Keijo have spent their entire lives in captivity.

But now there is finally hope after Tenerife zoo Loro Parque confirmed it is willing to take in the stranded orcas in a dramatic rescue bid.

The move could save the whales’ lives if Spain’s government gives the transfer the green light.

Wolfgang Kiessling, president of the Loro Parque Group, said the park is willing to “rescue Wikie and Keijo and offer all available resources to ensure they do not die and can be permanently housed under conditions that guarantee their protection and welfare”.

However, he warned that Spain’s central government must formally approve the move before any rescue operation can take place.

“This cannot be treated as a simple administrative procedure,” he said in an official statement.

“It concerns the lives of two animals who require an immediate and permanent solution, technically viable and endorsed by the competent authorities of the countries involved.”

Kiessling also insisted the rescue effort was not about profit.

He added: “We do not earn a single euro more by having six orcas instead of four.

“We are doing this out of moral, technical, and professional responsibility.

“We do it because we know how to care for these animals and because we want to prevent Wikie and Keijo from dying in France without a real alternative.”

France’s Minister Delegate for Ecological Transition, Mathieu Lefévre, has reportedly already approved the proposed move to Tenerife.

That means the final decision now rests with the Spanish government, as campaigners race to prevent tragedy for the abandoned whales.

Loro Parque said rescuing Wilkie and Keijo is now its “top priority” after investing more than $30million into conservation projects protecting 18 species.

PETA Watch welcomed the French Government’s decision to approve the transfer of the two orcas stranded in Marineland to Loro Parque.

In an official, the charity said: “This is the right call which puts the welfare of the orcas first and the option most likely to protect their well being”.

PETA Watch also said the decision was a firm rebuttal for the animal rights extremists who had been “pushing for fantasy solutions like returning the orcas to the oceans or non-existent sea sanctuary.”

With Marineland Antibes closed since January 2025, PETA Watch’s priority has been to campaign for the animals to be transferred to an established, accredited zoological facility.

The charity said that the decision to transfer the orcas to Loro Parque ensures they will receive the expert veterinary care, and long-term stability that they need.