The closure of a marine zoo in the south of France has sparked intense debate over the future of inhabitants including orcas and dolphins.

A French marine park on Sunday closed down definitively over a 2021 law banning shows featuring marine mammals, leaving uncertain futures for the two last orcas in captivity in the country, hundreds of other animals as well as dozens of staff.

Marineland, Europe’s largest marine park, closed its doors for good this Sunday after over 50 years of operation. Located in Antibes on the French Riviera, the park faced dwindling visitor numbers and new legislation banning cetacean shows by 2026.