Agents are being urged to sign an open letter asking TUI to stop selling tickets to captive animal attractions after claims that it is advertising a show featuring a heavily pregnant orca.
World Animal Protection said TUI is still pushing attractions that breed captive whale and dolphins, even though its recently updated policy says it won’t use those that breed for commercial purposes.
When the campaign group challenged TUI at its annual general meeting (AGM) last week, the operator said it stood by its policy but said it will still sell venues that breed ‘if it is of value to the natural composition of the social group’.
Since the AGM, World Animal Protection said it has emerged that the only female orca at Tenerife’s Loro Parque zoo, which is sold by TUI Musement, is heavily pregnant.
“Just last week she was still participating in all of the usual tricks of the orca show, including beaching herself and posing on the stage whilst in the final weeks of her pregnancy,” said the campaign group.
It claims the killer whale, called Morgan, was caught after being found underweight in the wild off the coast of the Netherlands in 2010 with the intention of being rehabilitated and released. “Morgan was never released and was taken to Loro Parque,” it said.
“She has since had one calf there, Ula, who died before her third birthday. A recent interview with the founder of Loro Parque in Spanish newspaper El Mundo even suggested she has had two other pregnancies.
“Morgan has a main part in the Loro Parque show where she is presented as a ‘saved’ orca rather than an orca stolen from the wild to perform for profit. The intention of Morgan’s original rescue and rehabilitation permit was never that she would be used in shows or for breeding.
“Loro Parque stated recently at a symposium that they do not see any reason to stop breeding orcas in captivity. Why then do TUI continue to sell tickets to this venue which clearly continues to breed for commercial purposes?”
In a statement, TUI said: “TUI Group’s audit strictly prohibits breeding for commercial purposes. However, breeding may be deemed acceptable if it supports the natural composition of social groups, encourages positive behaviours, or serves conservation efforts.
“As part of our animal welfare audits, we carefully review breeding history records to ensure that animals remain within their established social structures or are relocated solely for welfare reasons. If records show frequent breeding and transfers driven by commercial interests rather than animal welfare, this is classified as an unacceptable practice.”
More than 4,000 people have written to TUI, via World Animal Protection, asking that it stops selling tickets to attractions that ‘exploit whales and dolphins’ and some 340 independent agents have signed an open letter asking TUI to stop featuring some 25 dolphin attractions that are holding a total of 400 dolphins.
World Animal Protection is now calling for more travel agents to sign the petition, which was first drafted in November 2023.
Annika Nickson of Nickson Travel said: “For me personally, a tour operator selling captive cetacean experiences at all is extremely off putting, however to reap the benefits and kudos with both agents and the public of having an animal welfare policy then going against it is greenwashing at best, immoral at worst.”
Marie Rowe of Marie Rowe Travel added: “Greenwashing fellow industry partners is not a good way to build trust, but proactively breaching your own animal welfare commitments is even worse and does not bode well for engaging travel agents, earning respect, or setting standards within the travel industry.
“What is currently happening at Loro Parque is deeply upsetting and is not something that any travel agent who takes time to learn about the situation will feel comfortable with.”
Helen Bateman of Helen Bateman Travel said: ‘I have a minimum expectation that the suppliers I book with are following their own animal welfare policies. Why would I choose an operator who has been caught acting against their own policies, continuing to profit from exploitation and cruelty to cetaceans and greenwashing agents and customers? There is serious reputational damage here for both the operator, who is in the wrong, and the agent who has been misled.”
Bridget Perriman of World Class Adventures said: “Any operator selling tickets to attractions that keep animals in unnatural environments while claiming to support ethical tourism is acting in clear contradiction.
“True responsible travel means supporting experiences that respect animals in their natural habitat, not in captivity. It’s time for the industry to move beyond exploitation and embrace ethical alternatives.”
