Wikie and Keijo’s Story: A Fight for Orca Sanctuary and Survival

Wikie and Keijo’s story could still end in silence.

But we believe in a different ending—one filled with sea foam, stillness, and safety.

This isn’t just rescue. It’s restoration. And the time is now.

Wikie

Chapter 1: A Life in Captivity Begins

Wikie, a female orca (killer whale), was born in 2001 at Marineland Antibes in the south of France. She is a second-generation captive — her mother, Sharkane, was captured in Icelandic waters in the late 1980s and brought to France. This means Wikie never saw the ocean, never hunted, and never knew what it was to live in a pod in the open sea.

Instead, she was born into a concrete tank.

From the start, Wikie’s world was confined to a life designed for performance. She was trained to leap, spin, and splash on command. Her trainers were affectionate, and the crowds were loud — but this wasn’t natural. Orcas in the wild travel up to 100 miles a day, dive deep, use echolocation to navigate vast undersea realms, and live with family pods for life. Wikie lived a life of echoing tank walls and routines.

Chapter 2: Keijo Is Born

In 2013, Wikie gave birth to her son Keijo, fathered by Valentin — another Marineland orca who tragically died during catastrophic flooding in 2015. Keijo was raised in the same environment as his mother: chlorinated water, small pools, loud music, and crowds of humans. He never saw his father. And like Wikie, he has never touched the ocean.

Wikie tried to be a good mother. She protected Keijo and often swam beside him, as orca mothers do in the wild. But captivity limited everything: space, stimulation, social interaction, and mental health.

Chapter 3: A Vocal Breakthrough

In 2018, Wikie made headlines around the world. Scientists managed to teach her to imitate human words like “hello,” “bye-bye,” and “one-two-three.” Using a form of mimicry, she vocalized these words through her blowhole. Some praised it as a scientific marvel. Others called it heartbreaking.

It was a moment that revealed both the intelligence and the tragic confinement of orcas in captivity. Wikie could learn human speech — but she was still a prisoner.

Chapter 4: The Ban and the Breakdown

In 2021, France passed a law banning the use of dolphins and whales in live shows, giving marine parks until December 2026 to comply. This signaled the end for Marineland Antibes as it was known.

By January 2025, Marineland closed permanently, citing financial losses and regulatory pressure. The shows ended, the crowds disappeared, and the once-bustling marine park became eerily quiet.

But the animals remained.

Twelve dolphins and the two orcas — Wikie and Keijo — were left behind in tanks that were no longer being properly maintained. Advocacy groups who gained drone footage in 2025 reported algae-filled water, peeling paint, and growing isolation.

Wikie and Keijo were now living in silence.

Chapter 5: The Fight for Sanctuary

Because both orcas were born in captivity, they cannot survive in the wild. They never learned to hunt, navigate open seas, or avoid danger. Releasing them into the wild would be a death sentence.

But there is another way — a sea sanctuary.

The Whale Sanctuary Project in Nova Scotia, Canada, has offered to rehome Wikie and Keijo. Unlike a theme park, this sanctuary is a large, protected ocean cove. It offers:

• Natural seawater and currents

• Room to swim, dive, and explore

• No performances or forced interaction

• Human care and veterinary support

• Freedom from crowds, music, and artificial lights

It’s not total freedom, but it’s dignity. It’s peace. It’s the ocean — safe and supported.

But the move is complicated. Logistics, international approvals, and funding all stand in the way. There have been attempts to relocate the orcas to other marine parks — including one in Japan — but these were halted by public outcry and French legal blocks. The only ethical and legal option now is the Nova Scotia sanctuary.

Chapter 6: Still Waiting

As of May 2025, Wikie is 24 and Keijo is 12. In the wild, orcas can live 50 years or more — even up to 90. But captivity often shortens their lives dramatically.

Right now, they wait. Hidden behind the closed gates of Marineland, they swim in circles, day after day, with no shows, no stimulation, and no certainty. Their bodies remain strong, but their spirits are fading.

Every day that passes is another day they could have spent in the sea.

Why It Matters

Wikie and Keijo’s story is not about wild orcas — it’s about captive ones who have never known anything else. Their plight is a symbol of what happens when profit overshadows compassion, and when intelligence is met with confinement instead of respect.

Their story is still being written.

They don’t need to be set free — they need to be set right. The goal is not wilderness, but healing in a safe, ocean-based environment where they can be orcas, not performers.