ZooParc de Beauval Abandons Plans for Dolphin Centre

(eap) France’s ZooParc de Beauval has discontinued plans for its proposed “Centre d’Études, de Recherche Scientifique et de Sauvegarde pour Dauphins” (CERSSD), a centre for the study, scientific research and conservation of dolphins. The planned facility was intended to accommodate, among others, dolphins from Marineland d’Antibes, which closed in early 2025, as well as animals from Planète Sauvage. Following several months of studies, expert assessments and consultations, however, Beauval no longer considers the necessary conditions for implementing the project to be in place.

The zoo cites the continuing legal uncertainty resulting from several legal challenges against the project as a key reason for the decision. According to Beauval, this uncertainty is incompatible with the planned investment volume of EUR 45 million and the long-term commitments associated with taking in the animals. As long as all legal proceedings remain unresolved, the project’s financing partners are likewise unable to make binding commitments. More than EUR 1.5 million has already been invested in studies, expert assessments and the development of the project concept.

Rodolphe Delord, CEO of ZooParc de Beauval, explained the decision not to proceed with the planned research and conservation centre for dolphins in a video message. “When it comes to animal welfare, it is our responsibility to seriously consider every possible solution. That is exactly what we have done. Today, precisely because we are acting responsibly, we have a duty to say no to this project,” explained Rodolphe Delord, CEO of ZooParc de Beauval, in a video statement released yesterday.

The project was developed in 2025 at the initiative of the French government. One of the factors behind it is France’s animal welfare law of 30 November 2021, which generally prohibits the keeping and breeding of cetaceans (whales and dolphins) in zoological facilities from December 2026. Exceptions are provided, among other things, for certain conservation facilities and government-approved scientific programmes. The Beauval project was intended to operate under such a scientific exemption.

The centre had originally been scheduled to open in 2027. Covering an area of more than two hectares, it was to comprise, among other facilities, ten pools and three large landscaped lagoons. The centre had been conceived as a scientifically focused, non-commercial facility.

Plans included accommodating the eleven dolphins currently at Planète Sauvage. In February this year, the French Ministry for Ecological Transition confirmed that these animals, together with animal keepers rotating on a voluntary basis, were to be included in the Beauval project. Beauval was also due to take in eight dolphins from Marineland d’Antibes.

Of the twelve dolphins originally housed at Marineland d’Antibes, eight were transferred to Spain in July and relocated to Selwo Marina in Benalmádena near Málaga – the facility is operated by Parques Reunidos. Four further dolphins are currently still in Antibes; according to the French environment ministry, they are due to be transferred to Oceanogràfic in Valencia. The relocation of the animals to Spain had initially been intended as an interim solution until the planned dolphin centre in Beauval became available. With the project now abandoned, that prospect no longer exists.

A permanent home has also been sought for “Wikie” and “Keijo”, the two orcas remaining at Marineland, since the facility closed. In May this year, the French government expressed its support for transferring the animals to Loro Parque in Tenerife. The Spanish leisure and animal park subsequently stated that it was in principle prepared to accommodate the two orcas permanently, provided the necessary regulatory approvals for the transfer are granted. The orcas were not part of the planned Beauval project.

The cancellation of the Beauval project also means that the eleven dolphins from Planète Sauvage no longer have the future accommodation option that had previously been envisaged. Beauval stresses that its project had so far been the only proposal that would have made it possible to accommodate these animals in France. According to the zoo, no other concrete and immediately implementable solution has yet been presented that would meet comparable animal welfare standards while also providing secure long-term financing for several decades.

“We now hope that everyone will fulfil their responsibilities so that a concrete, sustainable solution that respects the welfare of these animals can be found,” Beauval states. Despite the end of the dolphin project, the zoo intends to continue its activities in the fields of animal welfare, species conservation, scientific research and environmental education. ■