Born on March 16, 2011 at Marineland, in Antibes, Moana has long made young and old smile in the largest marine zoo in Europe. Alas, the male orca 12 year old died. “Animal caretakers and all Marineland teams are very saddened by the sudden and unexpected loss of Moana, a 12-year-old male orca, during the night of October 17 to 18, 2023”said the water park in a publication posted on Facebook. “This loss is extremely painful for all the zoo teams, for the keepers who have built such a bond with Moana and for all those who love Marineland”, it was then indicated. In order to determine the causes of the orca’s death, A “Post-mortem examination was immediately carried out and the first results will be known in the coming weeks”. Could Moana’s death be linked to her living conditions in the park? In any case, this is what the animal rights association, One Voice, is convinced of.
One Voice: “The state of the orcas is worrying”
Following the announcement of Moana’s disappearance, One Voice reacted on X (formerly Twitter). “Moana is dead. We are launching legal proceedings. For more than two years we requested independent veterinary expertise, Marineland refused. Those responsible will have to be held accountable, we will see to it.”, assured the association. On this occasion, she revealed that a veterinarian specializing in orcas had visited the site two weeks earlier. “His new report is unequivocal, the state of the orcas is worrying”, she clarified. This is not the first time that the death of an orca at Marineland has created controversy. On October 12, 2015, the orca Valentin died following bad weather that hit the Côte d’Azur. The NGO Sea Shepherd then estimated that the polluted and not yet treated waters were responsible for the poor health of the animals. In a press release, Marineland revealed that the orca died from an intestinal torsionbefore specifying that their veterinary teams ensured “daily monitoring of animal health”.
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