TENERIFE, SPAIN — Morgan the orca whale has endured a rough few years after being rescued from the waters near the Netherlands back in 2010. A video released this week shows the young whale beaching herself, leading many to believe she was attempting to commit suicide.
Found severely emaciated and dying in 2010, a local theme park known as Dolfinarium Harderwijk was able to acquire a “rescue, rehabilitate and release” permit from the Dutch government that would allow her to be taken in.
After months of rehab, Morgan was brought back to full health. Rather than send her back to the wild as promised though, she was taught tricks and kept in small tanks over the course of 18 months.
Eventually she was sent over to another theme park in Spain called Loro Parque, which happens to be owned by SeaWorld. Activist organizations have reported that since she’s been there, Morgan’s been forced to perform for the public, and is constantly subjected to sexual pressure by male orca whales, even though she’s believed to be very young.
The video, which was recorded on May 16 and released by Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project, shows Morgan beaching herself on a concrete ledge after a performance in the Canary Islands. According to witnesses, she waited there for more than ten minutes. While many are speculating the act was a suicide attempt, other experts are not so sure, saying she may have instead been trying to escape from other orcas bullying her.
A video, released earlier this year, shows Morgan banging her head against the gates of a medical pool she was in. Dolphin Project claims she was trying to escape the pool, as she was being held in with another male whale. Loro Parque says those claims are exaggerated, and that Morgan was instead releasing pent up sexual energy.
Morgan was the first wild orca brought into captivity in roughly 25 years, which makes her invaluable to captive breeding programs.
In March of this year, SeaWorld announced the end to captive breeding at their U.S. parks, but the same agreement is not in place for its international parks.
Organizations like Dolphin Project and the Free Morgan Foundation continue to work against Morgan’s captors, so that one day, she may once again swim free.
For more information and updates on Morgan’s story, visit www.dolphinproject.com.
