First victory for orca Morgan!
Wednesday 3 August, 2011, 18:39, by
The Black Fish and other organisations in the Orca Coalition secured a victory in court today for the captive orca named Morgan by having her proposed export to the entertainment park Loro Parque in Tenerife, Spain, blocked. A judge ruled that the Ministry needs to do more to investigate whether the proposed 'scientific research' at Loro Parque is not just a guise under which the orca can be quickly moved to the SeaWorld owned facility. The judge also ruled that the orca will have to be moved to a bigger tank at the Dolphinarium in the short term, one where she will have move space and at least have contact with other animals (dolphins). In addition he made the recommendation that all interested parties (Orca Coalition, Free Morgan Group and Dolphinarium) will have to start a dialogue to come to a common solution for the orca under the guidance of the responsible Ministry.
The Orca Coalition is incredibly happy with the outcome of the case and the granting of the injunction which effectively prohibits the Dolphinarium to banish Morgan to a miserable life in captivity. Wietse van der Werf, spokesperson for the coalition: "Of course the fact that she now remains in the Dolphinarium for the short term is not ideal and it is definitely not a solution. But as she is temporarily moved to a larger tank and we continue to fight for her freedom, this really is an important first step in the right direction. It is clear that the judge saw a lot of dubious things in the Dolphinariums plans and his ruling now opens the door to the possibilities of release. The decision today is definitely an unprecendented one and puts a spanner in the works for the ongoing lucrative and illegal trade in these magnificent animals. SeaWorld, the proposed new owner of orca Morgan, is really not going to be very happy."
Also it turned out that the scientific research proposal the Dolphinarium submitted to be allowed to move Morgan was in fact a six year old research proposal which was originally used to get the permission to move four orca's from the US to Loro Parque in 2006. The plan was simply recycled for the Morgan case to justify her export under the guise of scientific research. The judge made clear that it is the responsibility of the Ministry to further investigate this and to ensure more is done to take charge of the case. It was clear that the Ministry simply followed the Dolphinarium in their advice that 'release of Morgan would be suicide' and that Loro Parque would be the best option for her.
The campaign to regain Morgan her freedom will continue. A very important first step has been taken today. With your ongoing support we will make sure that she gets the full justice she deserves! Please support the campaign generously and keep an eye out for updates on the campaign via the Free Morgan FB page or the @orkacoalitie Twitter feed. Further information can be found on http://www.orkacoalitie.nl
Related articles: Urgent appeal for orca Morgan | Blocking the export of an orca | Legal action started for release orca Morgan | The Black Fish launches orca campaign with coalition
