After being transported by truck and cargo plane, the eight dolphins from Marineland arrived in Andalusia on Thursday morning . Footage filmed on site by the Sea Shepherd association shows the cetaceans being transported in covered trucks and wooden crates. For the occasion, the Selwo Marina, which belongs to Parques Reunidos like Marineland, closed its doors to the public for two days. » Everything went well, the dolphins are doing fine
, » commented an internal source to TF1.
“ Their transport went smoothly
,” Marineland confirmed. “The dolphins are currently being cared for at their destination by Spanish and French veterinary and animal care teams, who are ensuring their well-being and acclimatization to their new environment
.” The Minister Delegate for Ecological Transition, Mathieu Lefèvre, described the situation on X as being in “ perfect safety conditions
,” adding: “ This step marks the beginning, as I had pledged, of the transfer of the cetaceans from Marineland to address the urgent situation
.”
The associations, some of which were present in Antibes on Wednesday evening, denounced this transfer in the middle of summer. Sea Shepherd, for example, maintains that the temperatures were too high, citing images of the covered Spanish trucks, which appeared to lack air conditioning. » The consequences for the animals could be felt in the short term, but also in the medium term
, » its president, Lamya Essemlali, told TF1. » We’ll see how they react in the coming days
. »
Why were the Spanish dolphins sent to China?
The Spanish park, a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums, has not housed any dolphins since the departure of its nine cetaceans to China in September 2025. This transfer had raised fears among associations of a journey of the dolphins from Marineland to China, once they arrived in Spain.
But according to an industry expert, this scenario is not going to happen again. » For several years now, Parques Reunidos has wanted to stop keeping dolphins
, » he explains. » For example, they closed the dolphinarium at the Madrid Zoo
. »
He continued: “ At one point, the European program that manages the issue of cetaceans in captivity at the continental level, as well as the genetic diversity of this population (EEP for European Endangered Species Programme), found itself with parks closing and no new housing available in Europe. It was then that parks located in China expressed a desire to join this exchange program. It was within this framework that Parques Reunidos sent its nine dolphins from Malaga to Hainan, China
.”
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« No dolphin show » in Malaga
Chinese parks that agreed to join the EEP were obligated to comply with the program’s strict conditions, particularly regarding animal welfare. » But since then, the economic situation of these types of parks in China has been relatively volatile
, » this expert continues. » They do very well some years, not at all in others. In this uncertain context, this kind of transfer no longer has the EEP’s approval
. »
In Malaga, the dolphinarium had been closed after the departure of the nine cetaceans to China. It was only reopened and refurbished for the arrival of the eight dolphins from Marineland. » There will be no dolphin shows or educational presentations for the public
, » an internal source confirmed, specifying that the public will simply be able to see them in their pools.
On this subject, Spanish law distinguishes between dolphinariums and zoos. » The spirit of this law is to say that dolphinariums in Spain are slated to close
, » explains an expert. » So the animals can no longer breed there, but unlike in France, they can remain in the dolphinariums, so it doesn’t create a housing crisis. Conversely, zoos can house cetaceans as part of research and conservation programs, allow them to breed, and present them to the public during educational demonstrations
. »
This is the case, for example, of Loro Parque in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, which is due to welcome the two orcas from Marineland, perhaps in the autumn.
For the eight dolphins of Marineland, Malaga is mainly intended to be a temporary home, at least in the mind of Parques Reunidos, which is counting on the opening of the future Beauval dolphinarium.
The problem is that this project, presented as the solution to housing dolphins in captivity in Europe, is delayed due to numerous appeals filed by associations. » This systematic opposition to any solution makes the situation very complicated
, » concludes a worried cetacean specialist.
