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Cousteau joins campaign to have Morgan the orca freed

Monday 15 October 2012

The son of the world's most famous marine biologist, Jacques Cousteau, is campaigning to have 'Dutch' orca Morgan released back into the wild.

On November 1, Amsterdam district court will hear an appeal against the ruling transferring Morgan, found in the Wadden Sea in a severely weakened state in 2010, to a Spanish amusement park. Morgan has been at the Loro Parque on Tenerife since late 2011.

'We need to put Morgan back in the ocean,' Jean-Michel Cousteau said at the screening of a film about his father. 'We need to get off our ass and campaign as far as we can with as many people as we can to convince the judges.'

Cousteau said he would also be at the Amsterdam court hearing in November.

Morgan's move to the Loro Parque was opposed by activitists who said she should be released back into the wild. But junior environment minister Henk Bleker granted an export licence, saying it was too risky to set the orca free.


More on Cousteau's involvement


Is it too late to release Morgan? Have your say using the comment box below.

© DutchNews.nl



 

Readers' Comments

Free the Whale.The Dutch stole it and sold it.It belongs in the wild oceans not a circus.

By jason buttle | 15 October 2012 10:40 AM

Uh, yeah, they 'stole' something that was stuck in the wadden sea to the point it was weakened and dying. Yep, stealing.
Don't get me wrong, I think it should be in the while, but stop the hyperbole and inflammatory nonsense, please!

By Al | 15 October 2012 3:41 PM

while-wild, oops

By Al | 15 October 2012 3:48 PM

Fine if you can be sure another pod will accept her and what is our experience of returning orcas back to the wild? It will need more research . You cannot vote on this due to lack of public knowledge on the subject we must know more to comment

By Lin | 15 October 2012 4:36 PM

It is not too late to return Morgan to the wild. There is a detailed plan in place to slowly transition her back to the wild. Springer the Orca was in captivity and released back into the wild several years ago, and is still going strong as a wild orca with an orca pod that adopted him. Morgan is being brutally bullied by the other killer whales in her small tank at Loro Parque. Her body is covered in rake marks. She needs to get out of there before it is too late.

By Daniel | 16 October 2012 4:44 AM

What it all comes down to is if you care that these intelligent sentient beings have the capacity for emotions and thus have a desire for freedom, or if your only concern is your own gratification in watching them do unnatural circus tricks in and unnatural environment to make $eaWorld-type parks rich. Set Morgan FREE!

By Holise E Cleveland III | 16 October 2012 9:02 AM

Morgan should absolutely be returned to the wild. She is not safe where she is and that cannot continue. Whales have been released before and she will be fine. they are by nature hunters and i am sure she will attract a nice pod and go on to have family of her own. Set her free its the humane thing to do, before she dies in captivity!!

By lisa gallazzi | 16 October 2012 9:02 AM

Is even more risky to keep her captive - Set her free!

By WestDeltaGirl | 16 October 2012 9:09 AM

Free the Orca asap.
This is hell for all captured sea mamals.

By Angela | 16 October 2012 9:12 AM

It is not too late at all to return Morgan to the wild!

By Allie | 16 October 2012 9:15 AM

Morgan like all the other captive whales and dolphins all over the world do NOT need to be held captive to make money for these places. They belong in the wild. She has taken much abuse since being locked up and if people actually look at the plan to see she will be intergrated with the orcas back home and if it does not work she will be taken care of. But to have her locked up and confined to a cement tank NOT how their life should be. She has not been in captivity long enough to where she has to rely upon it solely so Let's get her back HOME!!! Man has no right to keep her.

By Tracy | 16 October 2012 9:24 AM

No animal should be in captivity. The marine park that saved her in the past made the biggest mistake ever. Allowing people besides the ones that gave her food, near her. They started to teach her tricks. That is not a way to help an animal that's gonna be released into the wild again. They have a very good idea of where her pod is located.They've got plenty of research done to know what to do to get her set out back into the wild. It's a disgrace that the Dutch Government is allowing such a gracious mammal to move into captivity.Free Morgan is the only choice there is.

By Kiki | 16 October 2012 9:26 AM

Nobody OWNS this whale. Release it back to it's home. She has endured enough. Please, let her go home!

By Alana Roy | 16 October 2012 9:53 AM

Whales are VERY INTELLIGENT animals,it is not too late for Morgan, they should liberate her asap

By Rock | 16 October 2012 11:20 AM

back to where she belongs! with her families! if people wanna see whales then go see them in the wild, it's where they belong! People say her pod hasn't been found well go to www.freemorgan.org and you will find out that it HAS BEEN FOUND! FREE MORGAN!

By julia | 16 October 2012 11:38 AM

Of course she needs rehabilitation first, but this wild-born animal needs to be returned to her home. We humans do not need her to suffer in a prison. There is no benefit to anyone but the financial benefit to the owners of the park.

By Simon Varnam | 16 October 2012 11:56 AM

Morgan does not belong in a marine park. She needs to be returned to the ocean. Orcas need to swim free with their families, she does not deserve to spend her life in a small concrete tank.

By Shari Fujimoto | 16 October 2012 1:08 PM

What belongs to the sea must return to the sea!

By Elena Gonzalez | 16 October 2012 4:41 PM

Dolphinarium Harderwijk's rescue permit for Morgan in June 2010 was to rescue, rehab and release her back to the ocean as soon as possible. Instead, those conditions were ignored. Now, she's not only performing as a circus performer at Loro Parque, she's being harassed and raked by members of a pod which evidently has not accepted her. It's only too apparent Morgan is being kept as a cash grab for Loro Parque, and no doubt she has been slated for breeding stock in the near future. This is not what she was rescued for! A rehab and release plan constructed by marine mammal experts is in place. Let Morgan get on with returning to the ocean where she belongs!

By LindieO | 16 October 2012 6:58 PM

Please sign Morgans' petition! She needs your help! Sign and let you friend and family sign at https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/free-orca-morgan

By Dionne | 28 October 2012 12:29 PM

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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