 Keiko at theOregon Coast Aquarium in 1998 | |
| Othername(s) | Siggi Kago |
|---|---|
| Species | Orca (Orcinus orca) |
| Sex | Male |
| Born | c. 1976 |
| Died | 12 December 2003 (at the age ofc. 27) Arasvikfjord, Norway |
| Notable role | Willy inFree Willy |
| Weight | 11,500 lb (5,200 kg)[1] |
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Keiko (c. 1976 – 12 December 2003) was a maleorca captured in theAtlantic Ocean nearIceland in 1979, and widely known for his portrayal of Willy in the 1993 filmFree Willy. In 1996,Warner Bros. and the International Marine Mammal Project collaborated to return Keiko to the wild. After years of being prepared for reintegration, Keiko was flown to Iceland in 1998 and in 2002, became the firstcaptive orca to be fully released back into the ocean. On 12 December 2003, he died ofpneumonia in a bay inNorway at the age of 27.[2]
Keiko was captured nearReyðarfjörður, Iceland in 1979 at the approximate age of two and sold to the Icelandic Aquarium inHafnarfjörður. At the time, he was namedSiggi, with the nameKago given at a later date.[3][4]
In 1982, he was transferred toMarineland inOntario, Canada. It was at this new facility he first started performing for the public. He developed skinlesions indicative of poor health, and was also bullied by an older orca. Keiko was then sold toReino Aventura, anamusement park inMexico City, Mexico, in 1985. Keiko lived in a warm, chlorinated tank with artificial salt water. These conditions were more suited to dolphins, and due to this, his health continued to decline.
At Reino Aventura, he was renamed "Keiko", a feminineJapanese name that means "lucky one". At the time, he was only 10 feet (3.0 m) long.
Keiko became the star of the filmFree Willy in 1993. The publicity from his role led to an effort by Warner Brothers to find a better home for the orca. The pool for the now 21-foot-long (6.4 m) orca was only 22 feet (6.7 m) deep, 65 feet (20 m) wide and 114 feet (35 m) long. He was housed with bottlenose dolphins, but no others of his own species.[5][6]Keiko was underweight for his size, and the water temperature was often too warm, which contributed to various skin problems.[7]Due to apapillomavirus infection, Keiko experienced skin outbreaks, first observed while he was housed inOntario,Canada, prior to his transfer to Mexico City,[8]which complicated both his candidacy for relocation[7] and for eventual release into the wild.[9]
Outcry for Keiko's liberation arose from the film's credits containing a phone number for whale preservation that received hundreds of thousands of call-ins.[9] Warner Brothers andCraig McCaw approached the International Marine Mammal Project for help. The IMMP established theFree Willy-Keiko Foundation in February 1995.[10]With donations from the foundation and millions of school children, theOregon Coast Aquarium inNewport, Oregon was given over $7 million to construct facilities to return him to health with the hope of eventually returning him to the wild. Reino Aventura donated Keiko to the Foundation.[11] Before he left the amusement park in Mexico City, Keiko performed for the public for the last time, and was seen off by thousands of children, with more onlookers watching his overnight journey to theMexico City International Airport.[9][12]At the time he weighed about 7,700 pounds (3493 kg).[8][9][1] ALockheed L-100 Hercules cargo plane donated byUnited Parcel Service (UPS) hauled Keiko to Newport, Oregon on 8 January 1996.[9][13]
On arrival inOregon Coast Aquarium, Keiko was housed in a new (2,000,000 US gallons (7,600,000 L)) concrete enclosure containing seawater. His weight had increased significantly by June 1997, to 9,620 pounds (4364 kg).[11][1]
The plan to return him to the wild was a topic of much controversy. Some felt his years of captivity made such a return impossible. Researchers in a scientific study later said attempts to return him to the wild were unsuccessful, but that monitoring him with radio and satellite tags was part of "a contingency plan for return to human care," which secured "the long-term well-being of the animal."[14] Others considered his release misguided.[15][14](p 703)The Norwegian pro-whaling politicianSteinar Bastesen made international news for his statement that Keiko should instead be killed and the meat sent to Africa as foreign aid.[16]
Nevertheless, the process of preparing Keiko for the wild began on 9 September 1998, when he was flown toKlettsvík, a bay on the island ofHeimaey inVestmannaeyjar, Iceland.UPS again participated in transport, this time by providing ground transportation to the nearbyNewport Municipal Airport. Keiko was transported in a specialized 30-foot-long (9.1 m) container filled with enough saltwater to cover him and cooled with ice cubes. He was then transported by air in aC-17 Globemaster airplane loaned by theU.S. Air Force.[8] Upon landing atVestmannaeyjar Airport, the C-17 Globemaster aircraft suffered a landing gear failure causing over $1 million in damage, though Keiko was unharmed.[17][18]
His day-to-day care became the responsibility of the Free Willy-Keiko Foundation with management assistance from theOcean Futures Society. He was initially housed in a pen in the Klettsvik Bay where he underwent training designed to prepare him for his eventual release, including supervised swims in the open ocean.
Ocean Futures left the Keiko project in late 2001. The Free Willy-Keiko Foundation andThe Humane Society of the United States re-established management of the project at that time until Keiko's death in 2003.[19] Keiko was fully free by the summer of 2002 and departed Icelandic waters in early August, following some orcas but not integrated with the pod. His journey was tracked via the signal from aVHF tag attached to the dorsal fin.[14]About a month later, he arrived in Norway'sSkålvik Fjord, apparently seeking contact with human beings and allowing children to ride on his back.[20]His caretakers relocated to Norway and continued to conduct boat-follows with Keiko for the next 15 months.[14] On the basis of girth measurements and blood tests, it was assumed that Keiko had fed during his 900-mile (1500 km) journey from Iceland toNorway.[14]Keiko occasionally approached groups of wild orcas, but remained on the periphery, at distances of 100–300 meters (109 to 328 yards), with his head pointing toward the closest orca.[14](p 696)
Keiko resided in Taknes Bay, which was a clear inlet of coastal water where he was free to roam. There he was fed and looked after by keepers. Keiko had a tracking device attached to his dorsal fin that allowed his four handlers to pinpoint his location as long as he stayed within range.
Although Keiko was old for an orca in captivity, male orca in the wild live up to 50-90 years. Executive director of the Free Willy-Keiko foundation stated that Keiko was relatively healthy, up until a quick onset of symptoms which consisted of lethargy and loss of appetite the day before. Dale Richards, one of his handlers, said Keiko died quickly after an irregular respiration rate was measured at age 27 on 12 December 2003.Pneumonia was determined as his cause of death.
A spokesman of the Humane Society of the United States, Nick Braden, said that veterinarians administered antibiotics to Keiko after he started showing symptoms that Thursday, however this was not enough to prevent his death.
Most sources conclude that the project to free Keiko was a failure because the orca failed to adapt to life in the wild.[21]In Norway, Keiko had little contact with other orcas and was not fishing; for months before his death, the orca was being fed daily.[22][23][15]
A report inThe Guardian describes the freed orca's life in Taknes Bay as follows:
"... until his death Keiko was, rather than frolicking freely in his fjord, being taken for 'walks' by caretakers in a small boat at least three times a week. ... It took more than 60 failed attempts to reunite Keiko with free orcas before he followed a group where, spotting a fishing vessel off the Norwegian coast, he followed it into the fjords that would prove his final resting place."[24]
According to an article inNew Scientist, "He was seen diving among the wild orcas only once, on 30 July 2002. And after physical contact at the surface, Keiko swam away, seeking out human company on the tracking boat".[15] Simon, Hanson, Murrey,et al. (2009)[14] confirm that he was seen on the periphery of some wild groups but was never seen to be socially integrated with such whales. In summary,
According to Simonet al. (2009)[14] Keiko's return to humans for food and for company confirms the failure of the project.
Reasons cited for Keiko's failure to adapt include his early age at capture, the long history of captivity, prolonged lack of contact with other orcas, and strong bonds with humans.[14]
In spite of those comments, David Phillips, executive director of the Free Willy-Keiko Foundation, praised the release project: "We took the hardest candidate and took him from near death in Mexico to swimming with wild whales in Norway".[24] "Keiko had five years with the sights and sounds of natural seawater. I think it was a great success in terms of Keiko, his well-being, and the whole world that wanted to do the right thing."[26]Others also claim that the release was a success, andThe Huffington Post called it a "phenomenal success ... giving him years of health and freedom".[27][28]
The total cost of freeing Keiko was about US$20 million. The lead author of the study published byMarine Mammal Science said:
"You can't just let these animals out into the wild. You have to take the responsibility, and that might cost a lot of money. The fortune spent on Keiko might have been better invested in conservation programs to protect whales and their habitat ... But that's not as appealing as the adventures of a single whale".[29]
An alternative to freeing orcas after long-term captivity, is the use of a "sanctuary" or "oceanic enclosure" (sea pen), according to Lori Marino of the Whale Sanctuary Project.[30][31]"They can't be released, but their quality of life can be improved by orders of magnitude", Marino said in a 2016 interview where she agreed that the cost would be high ($15 to $20 million). "It's a solemn responsibility, and it's the best we can do for animals that are in captivity."[26]
In 2010 the filmKeiko: The Untold Story was released. In 2013 aNew York Times video,The Whale Who Would Not Be Freed, included interviews about Keiko's return to the ocean.[32] In 2024 theNew York Times released a podcast focused on Keiko titledThe Good Whale.[33]
Kago.
Keiko was indeed a poor candidate for release, due to the early age of his capture, long history of captivity, prolonged lack of contact with conspecifics, and strong bonds with humans.
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