Inouk, the 25-year-old male orca who died last week at Marineland in Antibes, succumbed to local inflammation after swallowing a very small piece of metal. His death, five months after the death of his nephew Moana, 12, had relaunched the controversy over the situation and future of Marineland's orcas.
Animal rights associations had repeatedly warned about the orca's condition, noting in particular the extreme wear of its teeth. Last fall, the courts ordered an independent expertise, which is still ongoing.