The project intended to provide a French solution for some of Marineland's dolphins will ultimately not come to fruition. The Beauval Zoo has announced the abandonment of its Center for Studies, Scientific Research, and Conservation for Dolphins, conceived in particular to house several cetaceans from the former Antibes park. After several months of studies, the park in the Loir-et-Cher region has determined that the financial and legal conditions no longer allow the project to proceed. The center's projected cost has increased significantly: initially estimated at between 25 and 30 million euros, it now stands at approximately 45 million euros. This decision leaves the future of Marineland's dolphins entirely open, as Beauval had until now represented the only concrete solution for permanently housing some of them in France.
A state-requested project that was intended to house approximately 25 dolphins.
Beauval had been working on this center since the summer of 2025, after being approached by the French government to study a solution to the closure of Marineland in Antibes. The project was substantial. It was to include several large lagoon-style pools, medical pools, and facilities dedicated to animal care, scientific research, and rescue. It could have housed approximately 25 dolphins. Among them were at least eight of the twelve dolphins from Marineland Antibes, as well as eleven animals from Planète Sauvage, near Nantes. Engineers, architects, scientists, veterinarians, and government agencies worked on the project for several months. Beauval reports having already invested over €1,5 million in studies, expert assessments, and design work.
The bill has increased from 25-30 million euros to 45 million euros.
The project's cost ultimately weighed heavily in the decision. While the investment was initially estimated at between 25 and 30 million euros, its projected amount is now estimated at 45 million. Beauval specifically hoped that part of the financing could benefit from a state guarantee. This possibility did not receive the expected commitment from the government. Adding to this financial difficulty were several legal challenges filed against the project. For Beauval, these proceedings created too much uncertainty to commit to an investment of tens of millions of euros and then ensure the center's operation for decades to come. Furthermore, the financial partners could not make a final commitment until the various appeals were resolved. "The legal and financial uncertainties currently surrounding the project prevent us from carrying it out under acceptable conditions ," explains Rodolphe Delord, CEO of the Beauval Zoo/Safari Park.
Several associations had filed appeals
The project deeply divided animal rights groups. Around ten NGOs, including One Voice and C'est Assez!, opposed it, and several legal proceedings were initiated. Opponents contested, in particular, the continuation of a model based on keeping dolphins in captivity and raised concerns about their breeding. Other organizations adopted a different position. Sea Shepherd France, for example, worked with Beauval and government agencies to develop a charter intended to regulate the conditions of care and animal welfare. Rodolphe Delord is now responding directly to the project's opponents. According to him, those who fought against the center's construction must also address the question of the alternative offered to the animals : "Opposing a solution is not enough; you have to be able to propose another that is at least as good for the animals ," he argues.
Eight dolphins from Marineland temporarily transferred to Spain
The closure of the Beauval center has considerably complicated the situation of the former Marineland residents. The Antibes park closed its doors in January 2025. Since then, the fate of its cetaceans has been the subject of lengthy discussions between the French government, potential host parks, and animal welfare organizations. Eight of the twelve dolphins still in Antibes were finally transferred in July 2026 to the Selwo Marina in Benalmádena, near Malaga, Spain. This transfer was intended to be temporary. The aim was, in particular, to remove the animals from Marineland's aging facilities while awaiting a permanent solution. The Beauval center was specifically designed to allow several of them to return to France and be housed in facilities built specifically for them. This prospect has now disappeared.
Beauval fears a transfer of dolphins to Asia
Rodolphe Delord makes no secret of his concern about what comes next. The director fears that, in the absence of a European solution, some animals will end up being transferred to Asia. They could then, he believes, end up in hotels or amusement parks. " We are truly worried about their future ," acknowledges the director of Beauval. The problem, moreover, extends beyond just the dolphins at Marineland. When Beauval presented its plan, the park estimated that approximately 65 dolphins were awaiting placement in Europe.
The 2021 law has drastically changed the future of dolphinariums.
The situation is directly linked to changes in French legislation. The November 2021 law against animal cruelty notably stipulates the end of dolphin and orca shows in France from December 2026, except for certain establishments pursuing scientific objectives. This development has called into question the operation of French dolphinariums and raised the issue of the future of the animals that had sometimes lived there for decades. The Beauval project was intended to be one of the solutions to this transition: not simply a dolphinarium for shows, but a center dedicated to the care, scientific research, and conservation of the animals.
No more concrete French solutions for the dolphins
With the project's abandonment, no comparable and immediately feasible facility has been announced in France to house these dolphins. Beauval maintains that it studied the proposal for several months before concluding that a €45 million investment could not be committed given the current financial and legal uncertainties. The park is now resuming the other projects it had postponed in order to prioritize the dolphin center. For the former residents of Marineland, however, the situation is practically back to square one. Their current accommodation in Spain was only intended to be a temporary measure. The project, which was meant to allow several of them to return permanently to France, has now been abandoned, and no equivalent French alternative is currently ready to take over.
