The subsequent hearing was held in Amsterdam.
My son, 17 years old, accompanied me. People
from different nations came to support this case.
Three judges were in the courtroom to listen to
the experts and the Dolfinarium and the owner of
the Lloro Park.
By this time there was great evidence that Morgan
was being bitten and bullied by the other Orcas.
In the courtroom I learned that the Lloro Park was
just another park owned by Sea World and that
SeaWorld was desperately looking for a young
female for their breeding program.
My God, I was such a fool to believe in my
fairytales. This was all about big bucks and a great
fear came over me. When you have so much
money and so much power, how strong will our
system be? Will it be strong enough to speak the
truth? Or will it be manipulated by the power of
money?
I was pleased to see that the judge took his time
to listen to all parties. Dr Ingrid Visser showed us
her PowerPoint presentation, full of photographs
of Morgan: where she was bitten; how many bite
marks she had; how she was sexually attacked by
male Orcas while she was too young to mate.
I couldn’t hold back. I wept like a baby. I felt that
anxious feeling again, and wanted nothing more
than to protect her.
Richard O’ Barry spoke about how he had
successfully released dolphins into the wild. He
believed this would be an opportunity for Morgan
too. Of course, he said truthfully, he wasn’t sure. But
release plans were made and we could make a start.
.My thoughts were: “What are you waiting for?”
The answer is now known. We were waiting for
Morgan to be old enough to provide offspring for
SeaWorld.
The disappointing outcome of the court case felt
like a tragedy for me. I left the courtroom crying
and numb. The court said that the Dutch ministry
had not been operating illegally.
It was now November 2011. Morgan was rescued
in June 2010.
Just two weeks ago, there was a high appeal
in The Hague. More people from all over the
world came to support Morgan’s case. Again, a
PowerPoint presentation was shown by Dr Ingrid
Visser. This time Dr Ingrid Visser could tell the
judges she was no longer allowed into the Park.
She was taken away by Police and she was not
able to do any research. Access denied. This time
I wasn’t there, but I heard from friends that there
was a good vibe in the court room. Again, all
people were allowed to be inside.
It will take another six weeks (four as I write this)
to hear the outcome.
For me it will be a dream come true if Morgan is
released into the wild again. But it is only when
all Orcas and all mammals are no longer