Plans to relocate Wikie and Keijo to a sanctuary made headlines, but with no sanctuary in sight, the organizations behind the efforts have gone silent.
“They Must Leave Now”
Despite the park’s closure, Marineland is still legally responsible for the animals. And its management is now sounding the alarm, too.
“Marineland reaffirms the extreme urgency of transferring the animals to an operational destination,” the park said, per BBC News. “Wikie and Keijo must leave now” for their own welfare.
This has sparked broader debates over marine mammal healthcare, specialized insurance for exotic animals, and facility-level liability insurance coverage.
Efforts to rehome the pair have hit repeated walls. An application to move them to Japan was blocked by the French Ministry for Ecology earlier this year.
A decision likely influenced by international animal protection laws and environmental risk assessments often used in litigation and compliance audits.
