Dean of the Parc Astérix dolphins, Femke, was euthanized. The animal was originally to be transferred to another park in Loire-Atlantique after the announcement of the closure of the dolphinarium.
"We were forced to make the sad and very difficult choice to relieve Femke of her suffering. Faced with her severe breathing difficulties, her lack of interactions with caregivers and other dolphins, her state of advanced lethargy and her repeated food stops , the various veterinarians responsible for evaluating his capacity to withstand a transfer recommended that we offer him a quick and peaceful end of life, within his familiar environment ", shared Parc Astérix, on its website, following their decision to euthanize a dolphin member of the dolphinarium. Femke, that was its name, should normally be transferred to the Planète Sauvage animal park in Loire-Atlantique, after the decision of Parc Astérix to permanently close its dolphinarium. At 39 years old, the animal had suffered from Cushing's Syndrome for several years. "His state of health had deteriorated sharply in recent weeks ", announced the park.
"Femke, dolphin martyr of captivity"
It is with great sadness, but also with relief that the association One voice, who campaigns for the defense of animals and Nature, spoke on this news. "For her, it's the end of the ordeal, but our grief and our anger are immense. We wrote to the management of the park last week, with our partners in the DFE coalition, asking for news of all the dolphins , and in particular of Femke, so fragile. What happened? We ask for access to the autopsy report ", we can read in a press release from the NGO, of February 1, 2021. The association had for a long time alerted the dolphinarium and the authorities on the deplorable situation of the dolphin, as can be seen in this video, shot in the month of July 2020. For Odo Voice, Femke "needed to be sidelined from the group. Not to be harassed by sea lions and dolphins – much against their will" and the association was until now "Very worried about this transfer. Femke reacted very badly to the interactions. In Planète Sauvage, they are already so numerous, she would have been unhappy again."
"Femke is no longer in pain. Death is sweeter than anything she has experienced since her capture. Knowing that humans are capable of inflicting on dolphins the atrocity of captivity and training, with the knowledge of cause, words fail to express our indignation ", added Muriel Arnal, founding president of One voice.
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"Femke's life will have been nothing but suffering"
Femke was captured in 1984 off Florida (USA), according to One voice. She was then sent to a dolphinarium in the Netherlands, to stay there for 24 years, before being transferred to Parc Astérix in June 2008, information relayed by the association's Facebook. That's enough. His son Ekinox, born in 2010, was separated from his mother in July 2016, to be transferred to Attica Park in Greece.
Regarding the fate of the other seven dolphins in Parc Astérix, they were transferred to different dolphinariums in Europe. In their statement, the amusement park detailed the transfers: Guama and Cecil were transferred on January 23, 2021 to Kölmarden Djurpark, Sweden. Bahia, Beauty and Belize, January 30, 2021, at Mundomar Benidorm in Spain. Baïly and Aya, on January 31, 2021, at the Oceanografic of Valencia also in Spain. "All arrived in good health", said Parc Astérix.