A planned dolphin rescue and research centre at ZooParc de Beauval in France is facing criticism from animal rights groups.
ZooParc de Beauval is developing the new facility with support from the French government. The centre would be able to house between 20 to 30 bottlenose dolphins in artificial seawater pools.
It could also house the cetaceans from the Marineland Antibes theme park, which closed down in January due to a 2021 law banning live shows with dolphins and whales in France.
Marineland, France
However, the plans have come under fire, with animal rights charities saying the facility will take part in dolphin breeding and offer public interactions.
One Voice, a French nonprofit organisation dedicated to animal rights, said the centre will not be "sufficient to meet the psychological and behavioural needs of dolphins".
Via a statement from One Voice, Pierre Gallego, a veterinarian and marine biologist specialising in cetaceans, said the project “is nothing more than a dolphinarium in disguise".
The project at ZooParc de Beauval "pursues the logic of traditional dolphinariums, namely by planning for the birth of new individuals and exchanges between dolphinariums", One Voice said.
EAAM says project is "positive"
The group is calling on the French government to formally reject the project and instead develop a "genuine" marine sanctuary.
However, the European Association for Aquatic Mammals (EAAM) said the project represents "a positive development for the dolphins".
"Since its creation, the EAAM has promoted innovation and evolution in cetacean care based on facts, data, and expertise — not ideology," it added.
"We therefore welcome this initiative, while remaining vigilant that it fully respects the rules, standards, and safeguards established by the accredited zoological community."
Photo by Rudney Uezu on Unsplash
EAAM said the facility will need to ensure that it "meets the real needs of the animals, contributes to scientific knowledge and conservation, and reconnects people with nature, rather than reopening the door to dogmatic or uninformed agendas that have already caused significant harm".
EAAM added that one in four cetaceans are now threatened with extinction (IUCN, 2025), meaning that accredited zoos and aquariums "have a crucial role to play" in the care of aquatic mammals.
Last month, the Nova Scotia government has approved plans for Canada's first-ever whale sanctuary.
This could house some of the beluga whales currently living at Marineland in Niagara Falls.
