Ten years ago, when they stood along the departmental road which runs along the beach of Antibes, in the Alpes-Maritimes, with their signs and their drums, the defenders of the animal cause remember that they were regularly insult. From now on, “they are no longer seen as literate”, wants to believe Corinne Bouvot, 54, an activist who is accustomed to the Marineland of Antibes, inaugurated in 1970. The death of Inouk, a 25-year-old orca, on March 28, revived her anger like that of her “comrades”. In less than six months, this is the second orca to die in the park’s pools. Of the four specimens born in captivity in Antibes, only two remain. And Corinne Bouvot’s companions are determined to fight to guarantee their good health.
For years, activists have denounced the practices of wildlife parks and accused their leaders of prioritizing profits over animal welfare. Accusations rejected en bloc. When Inouk died, Marineland published a press release in which its teams said they were very affected by this “terrible news”. Management did not respond to our questions, except to clarify that “the orcas are monitored daily, benefit from the best care by the best specialists, and the state authorities monitor the site very regularly.”
Voted in 2021, the law to combat animal abuse provides for the ban on shows involving orcas or dolphins at the end of 2026. But given the disastrous financial situation of the Antibes marine zoo, which suffered a loss of more of 6 million euros in 2021, the associations are concerned about the current living conditions of the animals.
Drones and hidden cameras
In the national ecosystem of the fight against orca captivity, the members of One Voice are very mobilized. This NGO was founded in 1995 by Muriel Arnal. At 8 years old, the discovery of a circus elephant locked in a truck in Corrèze shocked her. “I was walking 2 kilometers from my house to bring him bread. It was my only way to tell him, “You are not alone.” I didn’t understand how adults could do that to him. » Today, the 58-year-old director seeks to import international methods of activism into France. Even if the environmentalist MEP Caroline Roose and certain members of the Animalist Party are sometimes present along the departmental road, Muriel Arnal maintains that One Voice is apolitical.
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