South of France sea life park to close: what will happen to animals?
Ban on live whale and dolphin shows was ‘fatal blow’ for park’s finances
The park has been open for over 50 years, and lists orcas among its main attractions
Zap Ichigo / Shutterstock
A major French attraction has announced that it will close in January 2025, citing economic difficulties and law changes banning live shows with certain animals.
Marineland in Antibes (Alpes-Maritimes) will close on January 5 after more than 50 years of operations. It will remain the largest water-based zoo in Europe up until its closure.
Tickets to visit the site will continue to be sold up to this date, and tickets booked for after this time can be transferred to an earlier date via the attraction’s website.
Neighbouring attractions including the Aquasplash waterpark and Adventure Golf park will remain open after Marineland closes.
The park will now look to move its 4,000 animals to other attractions and zoos across Europe. Two orcas are likely to be transferred to Loro Parque in Tenerife.
Falling numbers
The attraction announced the closure via a press release, where it said the annual number of visitors dropped from 1.2 million to 425,000 in the last ten years.
It also cited a 2021 law which banned live shows with dolphins and whales, which the site called a “fatal blow” to the park.
“90% of visitors came to Marineland to visit the orcas and dolphins” before this law change, the park said.
“Marineland has continued to invest in maintaining high standards of animal care, as confirmed by numerous judicial and administrative expert reports,” the park added.
However, it came under renewed criticism earlier this year when an orca died on the premises.
Read more: Marineland in south of France again criticised over new whale death
