
Star Trek icon, William Shatner, and
EARTHDAY.ORG unite in calling on President Macron to save captive
orcas, Wikie and her son Keijo
Actor, activist, and lifelong
champion for animal welfare, William Shatner, best known for his role
as the legendary Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek franchise, has issued a passionate plea to President Macron: help save
Wikie and her son Keijo, the last two captive orca whales in France.
“In Star Trek IV: The Voyage
Home, two humpback whales
helped save planet Earth. It was gripping fiction—but what’s happening
today in the south of France is heartbreakingly real,” said Shatner.
“Wikie and Keijo aren’t characters in a script. They are highly
intelligent, social creatures trapped in a crumbling marine park with
nowhere to go. We have the power to write them a better ending—if we
act now. I urge President Macron to act decisively to find a better
location for these animals now.”

Shatner’s call follows the release
of disturbing new drone footage of the facility, showing the two orcas
circling in algae-choked tanks at the now-shuttered Marineland
Antibes, just 22 kilometers from where the United Nations Ocean
Conference convened just over a week ago in Nice.
Wikie, 23, and her son Keijo, 11,
were once the stars of live performances. But France passed a ban on
keeping cetaceans in 2021, and Marineland closed its doors in January
2025, leaving Wikie, Keijo, and 12 bottlenose dolphins
stranded.
“President Macron we know is a
champion of marine life and our oceans, and we are asking him to take
action now to save them. It is time for us to join together to find a
solution to save Wikie and Keijo,” said Kathleen Rogers, President of
EARTHDAY.ORG.
French Minister of Ecology Agnès
Pannier-Runache said in
February, 2025, that a suitable
site for a European whale sanctuary has not yet been
secured but this situation
demands urgent action - now.
The orcas’ physical and mental
health are likely already deteriorating and two other whales in their
family—Wikie’s brother, Inouk and her first born son—Moana, have
already died at Marineland within the last 18 months.
We need a relocation plan for Wikie
and Keijo that gives them the best chance of surviving long enough to
one day be rehomed in a whale sanctuary.
“Captain T Kirk called on two
whales to save planet Earth in a movie,” Shatner said. “Let’s save two
real ones now. President Macron, please act decisively.”
Want to speak out? Write a letter to President Macron
urging him to act.
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