Marine Zoo Trainers Sexually Stimulate Orca To Prevent Him From Mating With Mother: ‘Perverse New Low’

Orca Viral News: In France, trainers at a marine zoo are sexually stimulating a young male killer whale every month to stop him from mating with his own mother, according to a report by the BBC. The unusual practice is taking place at Marineland Antibes, a facility in southern France that shut down earlier this year. The park closed in January ahead of a new French law, which, from December, will officially ban whales from being used in marine shows. However, the two orcas, Wikie, 24, and her son Keijo, 11, are still stuck at the zoo as the French government and animal rights groups haven’t yet decided where to relocate them.

Viral Footage Sparks Debate:

The news gained attention after activist group TideBreakers released aerial footage showing two trainers standing by a pool. In the clip, Keijo can be seen lying upside down in the water as one trainer holds his flipper while the other stimulates him. His mother, Wikie, was kept in an adjacent pool, watching the act.

Animal experts warn that keeping them permanently apart would harm their mental health, as orcas are highly social animals. Still, managers at Marineland defended the act, saying Keijo’s adolescence had brought stronger sexual urges.

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According to them, “In order to avoid inbreeding with his mother, but also to prevent them from fighting and injuring each other, Marineland decided to sexually stimulate Keijo [to relieve him of his] tensions.” They further claimed that the method, “although spectacular, is natural and totally painless for the animals.”

Questions Over Animal Welfare:

The French ecology ministry confirmed Marineland had informed them about the process, saying it happens once a month under veterinary supervision. But experts remain divided. Valerie Greene, a former SeaWorld Orlando trainer now with TideBreakers, called the practice unusual. She told BBC, “As a former killer whale trainer, I’ve never seen this behaviour performed for anything other than attempting semen collection for use in artificial insemination.”

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A Controversial ‘Solution’:

For now, Marineland continues its practice, arguing it prevents inbreeding and aggression between the mother-son pair. But critics call it a 'perverse new low' in the treatment of captive animals, raising bigger questions about whether orcas should remain in marine parks at all.