International Marine Mammal Project
Keiko, the orca star of the movie Free Willy who is himself being freed from captivity, spent the summer of 2001
offshore on numerous occasions exploring wild orca pods. He wears an
advanced satellite tracking system which allows his location to be
known at all times, and is monitored from a helicopter and small boats
as well.
As he recuperates from strict confinement, Keiko has increased his
distance on these swims to 20 miles. This indicates he likely has the
stamina to keep up with a wild pod when he eventually gains total
freedom. He is also catching and eating live fish in addition to the
frozen fish fed him by his human guardians.
Keiko is now ready to spend the summer interacting with wild whales for
the third season since his return to his home in Iceland. This past
winter, Keiko stayed in the large bay that housed his original sea pen;
he remained in good physical shape because the bay, at a million square
feet, is large enough for a whale to exercise in. Keiko is in the best
possible situation for any captive orca. The bay in which Keiko lives
is more than fifteen times the size of the Oregon tank that previously
housed him. As a 25-year-old male, Keiko thrives while his counterparts
in the captive display industry are swimming in circles in concrete
boxes.
The time is now to end this industry and work to rehabilitate and release more captive orcas.
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