Orca relocation at Loro Parque on Tenerife prompts EU review of whale zoo alternatives

The two orcas, Wikie and Keijo, are due to be moved shortly by air freight from the now-closed Marineland on the Côte d’Azur to Loro Parque on Tenerife. A private initiative is now using this as an opportunity to develop an alternative to transferring captive animals between different zoos.

The organisation is planning a European marine sanctuary where orcas, dolphins and belugas can be cared for without having to generate income through shows or breeding programmes. Although a final plan has not yet been drawn up, a detailed framework does exist.

The «Friends for Hope and Animals» initiative is responsible for the project. The animal welfare and awareness-raising initiative is led by Janett Manitzki. The project is to be driven forward in collaboration with the communications partner ‚Ocean Voices Germany‘. Speaking to Teneriffa News, the initiative outlined its plans, which were largely motivated by reports surrounding the transfer of orcas from France to Loro Parque.

Animal rights activists want to build a whale sanctuary in the EU

The initiative itself traces its commitment to marine mammals back to the case of the humpback whale «Timmy», also known as «Hope». The female whale was first sighted in the harbour of Wismar on 3 March. Repeated strandings and rescue attempts led to an extraordinary media frenzy.

Following several failed attempts to free the animal, a complex transfer to a transport barge and an attempt to tow it towards the North Sea, the animal died in May off the Danish island of Anholt. The rescue operation itself remained controversial; a survey carried out in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in June revealed that the majority of respondents viewed the operation critically.

Animal rights activists plan care centre instead of theme park

The case of the humpback whale led to the founding of the initiative. It is now planning the «European Seaside Sanctuary for Marine Mammals». It is explicitly not being established as a spectacle or a zoo. In its concept, the initiative follows the guiding principle: «We are not staging a protest. We are developing a sustainable solution.»

A further guiding principle is that «animal welfare takes precedence over public display and commercial exploitation». Furthermore, the centre does not use shows as a business model or breeding as a project objective. According to the concept, only animals that cannot be released into the wild are admitted. Other reasons might include the fact that a return to the wild is not scientifically justifiable. Each admission is assessed on a case-by-case basis by medical and legal experts.

Initial designs show how the initiative envisages the facility. According to these plans, there will be several separate, natural-looking lagoons instead of a single shared pool. There are also plans for a large orca lagoon, at least two dolphin lagoons, a dedicated beluga lagoon, and separate areas for quarantine, acclimatisation and medical care.

Incoming animals are to be brought in via a separate «service harbour» and a lock system. This would prevent boats from entering the animal enclosures directly. However, Manitzki reports that all of this is currently merely a concept: the dimensions, location, structural stability and net sizing are still to be finalised and must be reviewed by marine biologists, veterinarians and the relevant authorities.

Dolphin and whale rescue is still in its infancy

The entire project is in an early feasibility and development phase. At present, there is neither an approved facility nor a confirmed location. Nor is there currently any specific proposal for a new construction site. Funding has not yet been secured either, according to the initiative.

They do not wish to «make any false promises». The timetable outlined in the concept envisages a functional plan as the next step, followed by a site screening, a preliminary feasibility study and, only then, the actual approval and construction phase.

No competition for the orca transfer to Loro Parque on Tenerife

«Friends for Hope and Animals» does not view the lagoon project as competition for existing sanctuaries. The «Whale Sanctuary Project» in Canada was originally under consideration for the two orcas, Wikie and Keijo. However, this was ruled out as a potential destination due to the waters off Nova Scotia being too cold. The organisation states that, rather than adopting a competitive mindset, it would prefer to develop an additional European perspective.

At this stage, the project is unlikely to have any practical significance for Wikie and Keijo. Their transfer to Tenerife is considered to be all but finalised. Even so, the two marine mammals remain the inspiration behind the project, even before their arrival at Loro Parque in Tenerife.

According to the initiative, whether the «European Seaside Sanctuary» will ever be built depends on the search for a suitable site, planning permission and funding. According to «Friends for Hope and Animals», there is as yet no specific timetable for this.