In the famous 1993 movie ‘Free Willy’, an orca was released as the park owner damaged the tank causing severe leaks in an attempt to kill the animal for insurance money. It inspired children all around the world to protest and donate money for Keiko, the orca playing ‘Willy’’ to be released.
Keiko was captured in Iceland in 1979 and was eventually sold to Reino Aventura, now known as Six Flags Mexico, At the time of arrival, he was only 10 feet long and was housed at the Mexican Facility in a tank intended and built for smaller dolphins. The tank was so small: 65 feet wide, 114 feet long, 1,130,390 US gallons, 4,279,000 Imperial gallons. Keiko, being 21 foot long at the time of the movie release. And the water of the tank was often too warm for Keiko’s eco-type of orca, being found in Icelandic waters. He had also developed a skin disease, an indicator of poor health or trauma, thanks to the aquarium he was housed before, where he was bullied by the other orcas he was held with. This skin disease is visible in the movie.
Due to donations from Warner Brothers and Craig McCaw, the establishment of the ‘Free Willy-Keiko Foundations’ in February 1995. Also with donations from millions of school children, the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon was given over 7 million to construct facilities for Keiko to hopefully regain his health with the intention of returning him to the wild. Reino Aventura had donated Keiko to the foundation. UPS had provided ground transportation to the nearby Newport Municipal Airpot in a special container. He had been transported by air in a draw-dropping C-130 Hercules also donated by UPS. During the flight, the container was cooled occasionally with ice cubes.
Upon arriving in Oregon in 1996, Keiko was then in a new concrete tank containing saltwater, 2,000,000 US gallons, 7,600,000 imperial gallons. Keiko had gained weight and his disease had cleared up. He was asked to do behaviours for exercise and given problem-solving activities to help prepare him for the next step of his life - a sea sanctuary. His day-to-day care became the responsibility of the Free Willy-Keiko Foundation with management from Ocean Futures Society. He was eventually housed in a sea pen in the Klettsvik Bay where he underwent training and rehabilitation made to prepare him for his eventual release, including supervised swims out in the open ocean, just like how people take their dogs for a walk. Though Ocean Futures left the Keiko project in late 2001. The Free Willy-Keiko Foundation and the Humane Society of United States re-established management of the project until Keiko’s death.
Keiko was released in summer of 2002 and his journey was tracked using a signal from a VHF tag attached to his dorsal fin. Keiko swam off with a pod of orcas in summer 2002 and departed the Icelandic waters following but not joining the pod. Roughly a month later, he arrived in Norway’s waters, seeking attention with humans and even allowing children to ride on his back. His caretakers relocated to Norway and continued to conduct blood tests and girth measurements, it was assumed that Keiko had fed during his 900-mile journey from Iceland to Norway. Keiko often approached pods of orcas; remained on his own. Keiko died in Norway in 2003, the suspected cause of death was pneumonia.
In a scientific study by researchers later said attempts to return him to the wild were unsuccessful. Norwegian pro-whaling politician Steiner Bastesen made international news for his statement saying Keiko should instead be killed and the meat sent to Africa as foreign aid.
As a conclusion, not only did he survive long in the ocean waters - he was too dependant on human interaction even after being trained to catch his own fish and introduced to several orca pods. Please read my ''Cetacean Sea Sancuaries & Release'' blog for more HERE.
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