Blocking the export of an orca
Tuesday 19 April, 2011, 15:44, by
The Black Fish and other organisations in the Orca Coalition have started court proceedings to block the proposed export of orca Morgan from the Dutch dolphinarium in Harderwijk to the marine park Loro Parque on the Canary island of Tenerife. The dolphinarium had hoped to move her at short notice but the Orca Coalition is now working to block this.
Morgan will be moved to Loro Parque on Tenerife if the dolphinarium gets its way.
Photo by Loro Parque
Interestingly the Ministry that is dealing with Morgan's case has given the Orca Coalition the possibility to appeal the export application (needed to move Morgan overseas) before it is granted. Even so the Orca Coalition wants to ensure that Morgan isn't shipped out while the legal proceedings are ongoing. Yesterday a judge was requested to block the permit and any transport of the animal while independent scientists and legal advisors are given a chance to make their case in front of a judge.
Just over a year ago the young malnourished female orca stranded off the Dutch north coast. The Dutch dolphinarium in Harderwijk was contacted and the animal was transported to be nurtured back to health at the company's facilities. Within a number of weeks the orca was back to strength but instead of releasing her, the dolphinarium started allowing paid visitors to see her. Quite quickly it became clear that even though the business is legally obliged to release animals they 'rescue' once they are healthy again, they had other plans with this young animal. The campaign to free Morgan has since gathered pace around the world.
In the most recent developments a majority of the Dutch parliament voted in favour of releasing the medical file and DNA material of Morgan so independent scientists can start looking for her family and at the possibilities of releasing her. Despite the growing public support for Morgan to be released back into the wild, the Dolphinarium is still refusing to hand over the information.
The Orca Coalition believes that marine animals belong in the sea, not caged up in tiny enclosures for the purposes of entertainment or research. We will continue to work together with other organisations to build strong opposition to the continued cruelty against cetaceans and other marine animals which are kept in captivity. Keep an eye out for updates on the campaign via the Free Morgan FB page or the @orkacoalitie Twitter feed. Support the campaign at http://www.orkacoalitie.nl
