IMMP in People Magazine: Saving Wikie and Keijo

By Kelli Bender, People Magazine

The International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) of Earth Island Institute has been in the forefront of efforts to save Wikie and her son Keijo, two orcas stranded in Marineland, Antibes, France. IMMP is working with the Whale Sanctuary Project and many other global environmental and animal welfare organizations to retire Wikie and Keijo to a seaside sanctuary being built in Nova Scotia. People Magazine recently interviewed David Phillips, Executive Director of IMMP, about this campaign to end cetacean captivity.

The two orcas are currently protected from being transferred to another captive entertainment facility outside of France thanks to litigation by our colleagues at One Voice in France. A final decision by the French government is pending on the fate of Wikie and Keijo.

Whale Expert Who Helped Real-Life Free Willy Is Fighting to Save 2 Orcas at Shutdown Marine Park (Exclusive)

Wikie and Keijo, the two remaining captive orcas in France, are set to move soon, but if that move is to a sanctuary is still undecided

By Kelli Bender, People Magazine, January 6, 2024

• Dave Phillips was one of the numerous whale experts who helped the orca star of Free Willy return to the wild
• Now, Phillips is working to help two other whales in captivity at a closed marine park in France
• Animal lovers are fighting to move killer whales Wikie and Keijo to a sea sanctuary in Canada

After helping Free Willy taste freedom, Dave Phillips is working to give two other orcas a life outside captivity, Phillips, a director of the International Marine Mammal Project at Earth Island Institute, was one the first people tapped to help with the ambitious project of returning the whale actor from Free Willy to the wild.

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Wikie, 23, and her 11-year-old son Keijo have spent their entire lives in captivity and currently reside at Marineland Antibes in the French Riviera. The pair are the only captive orcas in France. According to the BBC, Marineland Antibes officially closed on Jan 5 in response to legislation passed in 2021 banning the use of dolphins and whales in marine zoo shows in France. The legislation will go into effect next year.

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"They need to go to a retirement, into a sanctuary. From all points of view, it's so much better that they're not performing," he adds.

To read the full article, go here.

Sign our petition for Wikie and Keijo.

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Please donate to help accomplish the goal of sending Wikie and Keijo to the Whale Sanctuary Project’s seaside refuge in Nova Scotia, and to help other captive whales and dolphins find a home in a sanctuary, rather than performing tricks 24-7. Orcas and other whales and dolphins are kept hungry all day in order to make them do the tricks. Your donation is critical for this campaign to succeed and to create a better future for the orcas and other captive whales and dolphins. Thank you for your support!