Sea Shepherd France says it believes Marineland Antibes could move eight of its twelve remaining dolphins to a Spanish dolphinarium within days, in a transfer the group warns could endanger the animals given the ongoing heatwave, according to France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.
Animal transport trucks and transit crates sized for dolphins were spotted at the Antibes site on July 21, according to the group. Marineland's management pushed back on the claim. "For ten days, they've told the media every day that the transfer is happening that evening, and it never is," the park's leadership told ICI Côte d'Azur. One detail favours Sea Shepherd's theory, however: Selwo Marina, the Spanish facility designated to receive the dolphins, is closing exceptionally on July 23 and 24, in the middle of peak summer season, a coincidence Marineland declined to comment on. The park has said only that the transfer of all twelve dolphins "will indeed take place in the coming months," without giving an exact date.
The dolphins have remained at the shuttered Antibes park since its permanent closure in January 2025, following a 2021 law banning cetacean performances and captivity that comes fully into force this year. Sea Shepherd France founder Lamya Essemlali has previously argued that any transfer carried out during summer heat multiplies risk to the animals, a concern she has raised repeatedly as the park's closure has dragged on without a resolution for its remaining orcas and dolphins.