Question 4355 — animals

Summary

Ms. Danielle Simonnet draws the attention of the Minister of Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, Forests, Sea and Fisheries to the transfer of four dolphins from Marineland Antibes. On November 25, 2024, the Minister publicly expressed her strong opposition to the transfer of orcas from Marineland to Japan, highlighting the lack of strict animal welfare regulations in that country. Dolphins, being of the same family as orcas, they must be treated with the same precautions as the latter. The minister also specified that European parks, such as those in Spain, were capable of welcoming these animals, thus taking a first step towards protecting the rights of cetaceans. However, since these public statements, two dolphinaria in the European Union have closed their doors and have already started to transfer their dolphins to parks outside the European Union. In 2016, Parc Astérix transferred two dolphins Equinox and Naska to Attica Zoo in Greece. The latter recently announced the transfer of five dolphins to the Clearwater Aquarium, in the United States of America. Recently, the Madrid Aquarium Zoo announced the transfer of its dolphins to the Hainan Ocean Paradise park in China. This zoo, belonging to the Parques Reunidos group, owner of the Marineland of Antibes, has already affirmed that it could serve as temporary accommodation for other cetaceans, which could be the case for those of Marineland. This movement, among others, demonstrates that European parks, under pressure in the face of growing rejection of cetacean captivity, are seeking to export their animals to other destinations, notably Asia, where animal welfare standards are often insufficient. This constitutes proof that a transfer to a European Union country in no way guarantees that these animals will not end up in deplorable conditions in Asia, particularly in China, where animal welfare laws are much less strict than in France. However, the sanctuary of Taranto in Italy offers an ethical solution by offering a place where cetaceans will learn to live gently again after a long deprivation of liberty. The latter says it is ready to welcome the four dolphins from Marineland and two veterinarians mandated by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, Forests, Sea and Fisheries have given a favorable opinion to the reception of these animals in this sanctuary in 2024. In addition, the suspension of I-FAP services now makes any transparency on the movement of animals abroad impossible. This situation raises legitimate concerns within associations, including C’est Enssez and the general public. Furthermore, the Council of State, in its decision No. 490953 of December 31, 2024, ruled that the existing rules relating to the protection of cetaceans obstructed any transfer or importation for commercial use, thus supporting the transfer of these cetaceans to a rehabilitation center and not in other dolphinaria where their captivity is used for commercial purposes. Thus, she asks it if, as a CITES authority, in compliance with its commitments and the decision of the Council of State, it undertakes to refuse to grant permits for the transport of these four dolphins to European dolphinariums and to favor the solution of the Tarente sanctuary, the most viable solution and validated by the veterinarians of its services; This written question takes up the letter of inquiry from the C’est Assez association.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

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