Because they were both born in captivity, the orcas were unable to survive in the wild.
In order to satisfy the management company’s legal care requirements, skeletal staff members feed the animals, but they don’t give them any cerebral stimulation, which is essential for mated pod orcas.
Two rehoming agreements—one for a Canadian whale sanctuary and another for a marine zoo in Japan—have been vetoed by the French government.
The Whale Sanctuary Project’s (WSP) president, Lori Marino, had stated that their location in Nova Scotia, Canada, was “the only option left.”
The French environment minister, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, stated in February that she was searching for a European sanctuary but that a suitable location for Wikie and Keijo had not yet been found.
“You’re years away from being a viable sanctuary if you don’t even have a site,” Marino continued.
