Empty the Tanks 2014

Saturday 24^th May 2014, marked the 2^nd Empty the Tanks Worldwide event where people in many locations around the world gathered to raise awareness about and gain support for the campaign to end the captivity of cetaceans.

Our little Morgan took part in the event in Leicester Square, London, along with approximately 100 other protestors armed with banners, posters and leaflets. Here they roamed the Leicester Square area trying to engage the public on this issue and pledge to never visit whales and dolphins in captivity; queues meant ‘captive’ people and were a good place to start. Our little Morgan met many people this day, including one young girl who had asked her mum if she could come to the event as part of her special birthday weekend treat in London – lovely to see such passion and commitment in someone so young but at the same time so sad that children are worrying about an industry that should not exist.

Totally inspired by this young lady!

Most people Morgan and her friends came across nodded in agreement when they said that whales and dolphins do not belong in captivity, which was encouraging. Quite a few people agreed that the tanks should be empty but expressed opinions that those animals currently in marine parks would have to stay there as they wouldn’t survive in the wild, highlighting that there is significant misunderstanding about the options for these animals. Some people believe that the alternative to captivity is to release the animals out into the wild and they are rightly concerned that if that were to happen the animals might be unable to fend for themselves and would die. This shows that they are unaware of the rehabilitation plans that would be involved in the retirement of these animals. They would not be subjected to a sudden change from captivity to release, rather the plan for each animal would be carefully tailored for that individual – some might be able to be fully released after a period of rehabilitation and would rejoin their families whereas others might never be able to be fully released and would require some human input for the rest of their lives.

Our little Morgan had quite a day, getting her photo taken with all kinds of people at the protest, and one four legged black and white friend!

Morgan and her little furry friend!

Emptythe Tanks is an annual event and growing, reflecting the increased focus on this issue and the growing movement of people taking a stand against keeping cetaceans in captivity. A huge thank your to WCA Partner Suzanne Rogers for taking out little Morgan along to this great event.

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