The French government has been urged to reconsider rehoming two stranded killer whales in Canada.
Wikie, 23, and her 11-year-old son Keijo are currently held at Marineland Antibes, a marine zoo in southern France, where they were born and have been kept their entire lives. It closed in January.
An application to send them to the most likely rehoming destination – Loro Parque marine zoo in Tenerife – was blocked by Spanish authorities. Loro Parque is already home to four orcas, including one born last month.
Lori Marino, president of The Whale Sanctuary Project (WSP), said their site in Nova Scotia is "the only option left", as French authorities have not yet identified a location in Europe for orcas and rejected a move to a marine zoo in Japan.
