Morgan, a captive orca, has given birth for the second time and now face a lifetime in a aquatic tank, performing for tourists on the Spanish island of Tenerife
He will grow to be five metres long, be able swim up to 100 miles a day and dive to 500ft – but this orca will spend all his life in what environmentalists call a “concrete coffin”.
Morgan, the only female orca at the controversial Loro Parque on the Spanish island of Tenerife, has given birth for the second time to a male calf prompting concerns from animal welfare campaigners.
The calf, as yet unnamed, was born in a tank at the captive entertainment venue – where it will likely remain for the rest of its life.
Loro Parque confirmed the delivery of a “healthy male orca” and claimed that it “reinforces their commitment to marine conservation”. But animal welfare groups hit back and said “sadly his future is bleak”.
Orcas are highly intelligent, complex marine predators with strong social bonds. Morgan was born in the wild and was discovered alone and in an emaciated state off the coast of the Netherlands in 2010. She was rescued and taken into captivity at the Dolfinarium Harderwijk theme park, where she remained for around 18 months. A legal challenge was brought against her continued captivity by NGOs in the Netherlands.
But she was then she was controversially transferred to Loro Parque in Tenerife, Spain. Despite pressure from international NGOs, Morgan has remained in Spain, where she is exploited daily to entertain visitors, say campaigners.
This is not the first time Morgan has become pregnant. In 2018, she gave birth to a female calf called Ula following a pregnancy described by Loro Parque as ‘accidental’. Ula, who was sadly born deformed, was separated from Morgan shortly after birth, and died at the park before her third birthday.
READ MORE: Plight of killer whale Ula who will spend whole life imprisoned in ‘concrete coffin’
Katheryn Wise, Wildlife Campaigns Manager, said: “The news of another calf being born at Loro Parque is heartbreaking. For such a beautiful and incredible animal to now face a lifetime in a tank, performing for tourists and potentially being bred like a cog in a corporate machine is tragic. At Loro Parque, four orcas have died since 2021 including this calf’s sister, Ula, who died in 2021 at two years old.
”This is a venue that clearly goes against TUI Group’s animal welfare policy and yet they continue to sell tickets and promote it, excitedly stating that ‘the Orca Ocean spectacle deserves a special mention’ on their website.
“This outdated idea that we can keep whales and dolphins captive without them suffering needs to end. The only way this new orca calf can be a celebration is if it marks the last orca to be born into a life of captivity for the sake of entertainment, and even then this poor animal faces a bleak future in a barren tank.”
Loro Parque said in a statement: “Orca calves are born with an immature immune system and depend on antibodies transmitted through their mother’s milk. In the wild, this vulnerability contributes to a cetacean calf mortality rate of around 50%. The new calf will remain with its mother in a specialised area, where it will receive constant care until it is ready to be integrated with the rest of the orca family that reside in Loro Parque.”
Wolfgang Kiessling, President of Loro Parque Group, added: “This birth is a testament to the dedication and expertise of our team.
“Morgan’s arrival at our facility saved her life and is a perfect example of the vital role modern zoos play in conservation. We rescued her from certain death, and today, she has found a home where she thrives.”
