Orcas: Killer Beauties

Welcome to this new section dedicated to the memory of Keiko. This time, I have collected some informative material, for all the people who want to know more about what once was a marvelous animal.

This is the story about an orca, who at only two years old started an impressive journey, which touched five different countries, and traveled thousands of miles. An orca who started to amaze the public very early in his life, which will soon leave his anonymous life to appear at the eyes of the entire world.

Born in some place in the Atlantic Ocean, between 1977 and 1978, Keiko was captured by a fishing vessel, which took him away form his mother and from the rest of his pod. He was then kept captive on Island, until 1982, when the Canadian amusement park, Marine World Ontario buy him. Then he was trained to serve as an spectacle animal.

In 1985, after three years in Canada, Marine World Ontario, sells Keiko to the Mexican amusement park Reino Aventura, for about $ 350,000. Keiko stays in Mexico until 1995.

During the time Keiko stayed in Mexico, the film maker company Warner Bros. begins to work in the movie "Free Willy". The year was 1992 and the movie is about a child who finds in Willy, starred by Keiko, a new friend. He then starts a campaign to force the park's administration to set Willy, the park's main star, free.

This picture was taken during the production of the first "Free Willy" film - Copyright © 1992 - 2004 © Warner Bros.

This picture was taken during the production of the movie "Free Willy", in 1992

Copyright © 1992 - 2004 Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved.

Free Willy is finally launched in 1993 and becomes an instant hit in the theaters around the world. Millions of persons, specially school age childs goes to the theaters, and movie stores to watch the movie. Two new movies, also starred by Keiko, Free Willy - The Adventure Home and Free Willy - The Rescue, hits the theaters, and all the sensation about Keiko, keeps spinning around him.


Free Willy, Free Willy - The Adventure Home and Free Willy - The Rescue
Copyright © 1992 - 2004 Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved

This and the local media news, gains a lot of support for Keiko. Then the project to get him a new home and release him there, starts. The idea is also supported by Warner Bros. and Reino Aventura administration. Keiko's health was a major concern for everyone specially to the Dr. Lanny Cornell, who said that Keiko's living conditions in this park, were bad enough like to put Keiko's life in danger.

By 1992, the Earth Island Institute, based in the United States, begins to search a good place to set Keiko free. The place should have to be big enough, very spacious and should also have an adequate climate in order to let Keiko to recover his health. The place will also serve as a rehabilitation facility, to teach Keiko, how to survive in the open ocean. Warner Bros. and an anonymous donor, who will identify himself as Craig McCaw, donated $ 2,000,000 each. The project began to take shape under the name "Free Willy Foundation, which was constituted thanks to those initial $ 4,000,000.

Aereal view of Keiko's Rehabilitation Complex in Oregon, United States - Copyright © Oregon Coast Aquiarium.

Oregon, United States. The complex to receive Keiko during its construction.

In 1995, the amusement park, Reino Aventura, gives Keiko to the Free Willy Foundation and then they announces that Keiko will soon be moved to his new home in the United States. This home is a re-habilitation complex located in Oregon, which coasted $ 7,300,000. By then, the United States Humane Society becomes a sponsor of this project too. Keiko stays in Mexico until 1996, when his new home in Oregon are finished and ready to receive him.

The United Parcel Service or UPS sponsor Keiko's flight from Mexico to the United States. By then, Keiko's weight was about 7,720 pounds. After being in Oregon by a year, Keiko gains about 1,000 pounds, and by that year's end, the infections on Keiko's skin begins to heal and finally disappears in 1997. After that, Keiko's health is determined to be excellent.


The lesions on Keiko's skin, heals fast thanks to a good veterinarian control and an always fresh and clean environment.
Copyright © Oregon Coast Aquarium.

Over 2 million of visitors comes to see Keiko in his new home, and he also appears in the TV, thanks to Discovery Channel documentary titled "The Free Willy Story". He is also pictured in the LIFE Magazine front page.

During 1997, Keiko's new trainers begins to work in a difficult task: Teach Keiko to live by himself in a natural environment. This task proves to be very complex, due to the fact that Keiko was held captive for more than 14 years, feed by human hands. However all the efforts of this new staff are not lost, and by August of that year, Keiko catches his first live fish by himself. By June, Keiko is weighing 9,620 pounds.

Encouraged by this advances in Keiko's re-habilitation, the Free Willy Foundation, prepares to release Keiko in a Controlled Environment in the Atlantic Ocean by 1998. After discussing this with many local governments, Island accepts to receive Keiko in their waters.

A crane lift up Keiko in order to put him inside an special container aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster cargo plane.

Keiko is lifted by a crane an then put inside an special container inside a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster cargo plane. This is a delicate process, and the staff must try by all means to keep Keiko still. If Keiko feels himself in danger, he could start to move violently and he could fall to the concrete, which could kill him instantly.

In 1998, after a complete medical test, Keiko is found to be in good health and that he is also showing many patterns commonly known by wild orcas. The Free Willy Foundation, approves to move him Island in September. A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster cargo plane is designated to this task, and then Keiko is transported from Oregon to the Klettsvik bay in Vestmannaeyjar, Island.

By 1999, after staying in his native waters for a complete year, Keiko is controlled and protected all the days by the Ocean Futures Society, which keeps working day by day, training Keiko so he can adapt more and more, to his natural environment. For Keiko to be successfully re-introduced in the nature, he must pay more attention to what's under the surface of the ocean and less into what's above it. If he succeeds, this will allow him to be more independent. The efforts are a success, and now Keiko is showing more and more interest into his habitat and expend less time with his trainers.

Keiko and a monitoring vessel besides him. Copyright © Ocean Futures Society

The year 2000 begins, and a transmitter is attached to Keiko to follow him, because he swims more and more into the open ocean now. The Ocean Futures Society watches him progressing more and more, and by now Keiko begins to make contact with a wild orca pod. His health also improves drastically from that point.

By year 2001, Keiko is competing with members of wild orca pods, for food. Keiko also keeps in contact with those pods and spend many days with them and fewer days with his trainers. Keiko is seen healthy by then, feeding himself with fishes captured by him.

Then by 2002, during his first day out of the netted pen which protected him, Keiko left behind the tracking vessel and stays a lot of time in company of wild orcas. He is monitored near several wild orca pods for more than three weeks. Then, accompanied by a wild orca pod, he begins a journey which will take him for over 1000 miles across the North Atlantic, he stops in Norwegian waters where he is reported to be healthy and in good conditions, all this after spending 60 days by his own. His veterinarians many staff members concludes that Keiko is finally ready for being set free.

After following a fishing boat inside a Norwegian fjord, where he becomes an immediate sensation. To prevent contact that may cause delays in the project, the Ocean Futures Society working with the Norwegian Government, sets an immediate regulation which prohibits the visitors to swim, feed and touch Keiko; because doing so may put in danger all the efforts made until then.

Meanwhile, the Craig McCaw Foundation and the Ocean Futures Society, pass the control of the project to the Free Willy/Keiko Foundation and to the United States Humane Society.

It is 2002, and by December of this year, Keiko is taken to the Taknes Bay and the project staff continues working with him. For the very first time, Keiko is now in an open sea area where he can go and come back when he wants to. This gains the full Norwegian Government support to the project, and a permission is given to the Free Willy/Keiko Foundation and to the United States Humane Society, to keep working in Norwegian territory.

But even after spending almost an entire year without problems, Keiko dies in December 12, 2003. This is officially announced by the Free Willy/Keiko Foundation and to the United States Humane Society.

The most possible reason of his death, according to Keiko's veterinarians, was a pneumonia attack, but they also think that, may be, his old age could be the reason too. Keiko was the older male kept in captivity. For both organizations and for every one working in this project, this was a hard hit. Both organization mourned his death.

An executive representing both organizations made the following comments: "-Yesterday, Keiko was visibly lethargic and without appetite. All the staff working with him, specially Dr. Cornell, were consulted immediately. Keiko's behavior did not improved by the morning and his breathing wasn't regular. Those were signs that shown that his illness was already advanced. This is quite common among dolphins and whales being kept in captivity or under human care. Keiko died peacefully that night after stranding".

If there's something that all the mankind must learn about this, is that we must stop, as soon as possible, everything related to the capture and captivity for all kind of animals; because it is traumatic for them, as would it be for us, to being separated from their community, from their pods and from their families.

We can only hope that Keiko's history along with the stories of many other orcas, dolphins and captive animals from other species, has left a mark in our conscience that force us to protect them and to avoid its capture by people and organizations who's only wish, way over the health and the freedom of these creatures, is to fill their pockets with money.

But that is what I think of this. What the rest of us, human beings thinks about this, depends on ourselves. For that reason, Keiko and all the others that have shared something of themselves with us, never will be forgotten.

Keiko did obtained his freedom, and he left this material world to swim now in the vast and infinite oceans of the eternity; after entertaining the public in several different marine parks and three cinematographic productions.


An Exceptional Orca