Retrieved in poor health from the coast of the Netherlands in June 2010, Morgan the orca whale was housed in Dolfinarium Harderwijk for one-and-a-half years “to recuperate”.
The Dutch Minister for Agriculture then granted permission for her to be transferred to Loro Parque in Tenerife in November 2011.
This decision was yesterday ruled lawful by a Dutch court, despite support from experts to justify her rehabilitation and release back to the wild.
President of the Born Free Foundation, Will Travers OBE, said:
“The decision flies in the face of natural justice, which would surely conclude that, having been returned to a degree of health, Morgan should, as the terms of her capture permit stated, be returned to the wild. Instead she seems condemned to a life of deprivation, confinement and intimidation, far from her ocean home.”
Morgan is currently held in a purpose-built tank, and forced to perform tricks in front of an audience every day, with very little focus on education, Born Free says.
She has suffered from injury as a result of hostile tank companions, and her captivity has resulted in abnormal behaviours, causing her to damage her teeth and rostrum.
However, the recent legal proceedings did not take into account Morgan's current state of health, reviewing only the situation from 2011, when she was transferred.
Born Free, among other organisations, has repeatedly raised concerns about Morgan's welfare. Mr Travers said:
“The Born Free Foundation will continue to support the Free Morgan Foundation in its endeavours to free Morgan from her captivity in Tenerife and to find her an alternative to her current life of exploitation. There is a very real possibility that her current living conditions threaten her survival and Born Free will continue to do all we can to save her before it is too late.”
Image courtesy of www.freemorgan.org.
The BSAVA has opened submissions for the BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026.
