A fight for freedom – help free Morgan!
Morgan, a young wild orca, is currently being held in captivity in the Netherlands. She does not belong in a tank. She belongs in the ocean.
In late June, 2010, a young orca was seen in the Wadden Sea, off the coast of the Netherlands. The little orca appeared to be ill, so she was captured and brought to the Harderwijk Dolfinarium, a captive facility about an hour from Amsterdam. She was named Morgan. For more than a year, she has been living in a small tank at the dolphinarium. She is currently on display, where visitors can see her every afternoon – an interesting experience for visitors, but for Morgan, it’s like living in a prison.
The Dutch government permitted her capture on the basis that she would be rehabilitated and then released back to the wild.
On December 10, 2010, the dolphinarium announced that she would not be returned to the wild.
Morgan doesn’t belong in captivity. She doesn’t belong to a private company which sells tickets to see her. She belongs in the ocean. Anyone who cares about orcas should insist that Morgan be returned to the wild.
In July, 2011, it was announced that Morgan would be moved to an amusement park called Loro Parque, in the Canary Islands, and the Dutch government issued a permit for her to be exported.
On August 3, 2011, a group of activists supporting Morgan scored a victory in an Amsterdam court. The group, called Orca Coalition, went to court to prevent Morgan from being sent to Loro Parque. They won their case against the Dutch government ministry responsible for Morgan, and therefore Morgan won’t be sent off to the Canary Islands. However, she will still remain in a tank in Harderwijk, and her long-term fate is still unknown. It will depend on the activists and the dolphinarium working together to find a solution.
Please share this post! And you can friend a facebook page for Morgan too, here.
What?!?!?! Oh my goodness!! Thanks for this info and links. I'm so angry I better calm down first before I head off to sign the petition.
Aw, that's really sad. I do like your cover, btw, on a happier note.
Thanks Old Kitty – I had the same reaction. Orca's are NOT show animals!
Thanks Kelley 🙂 and please sign the petition!
Signed, sigh … people arrrgh.
Okay, I've been losing myself in fiction and not paying attention lately, but I just saw the post about Arrival and if you still need another set of eyes to proof I'm willing, just drop me an e-mail.
I'm definitely hopping over to that petition.
I'm happy to sign. I hate it when animals are kept in tanks/cages. It's so wrong. I hope they listen.
You can find all updates on Morgan there.