Northland orca expert Ingrid Visser is vowing to keep fighting for the freedom of a captive orca, despite losing a last-ditch court case in Amsterdam.
The Amsterdam District Court ruled no laws were broken when Morgan, a young female orca rescued off the Dutch coast in 2010, was transferred toa theme park in Spain's Canary Islands.
Dr Visser had been fighting for the past two years, together with the Orca Coalition and the Free Morgan Foundation, to have Morgan returned to its home waters off northern Norway. She argued shifting the orca to Loro Parque was illegal and had gathered evidence about injuries suffered by Morgan while in captivity.
The Tutukaka marine scientist said the court's ruling was a travesty - but it had only made her more determined to keep fighting for Morgan and other orca held in captivity for profit and entertainment. "It's an outrageous injustice ... But this decision only serves as fuel for an engine driving people to stop entertainment parks that abuse animals in order to make money."
Dr Visser said she would turn her attention to Spanish courts.
