News Archives

January, 2004

WSPA joins the international community in mourning
the loss of Keiko

Update: Keiko, the beloved star of the "Free Willy" movies, died suddenly on December 12, 2003. Despite the best efforts of his veterinarians, the world's most famous killer whale succumbed to a case of acute pneumonia. Keiko's age may also have been a factor as he was 27 years old, the second oldest male orca ever held captive. The life expectancy of wild males is just over 29 years.

Keiko's journey from captivity back to the wild was amazing and he became a symbol for the plight and the hope of all captive marine mammals. Following his starring role in "Free Willy," the story of a boy who befriends a captive orca and struggles to free him, captured the hearts of people around the world. When the story came out that Keiko, the whale that played "Willy," was actually trapped in a small, dingy tank in Mexico, suffering from a pappiloma skin condition, the world rallied to the cause and raised money to help free him.

From his rehabilitation in sea pen in Oregon to swimming with wild whales off the coast of Iceland, Keiko proved that it is possible for captive marine mammals to flourish when returned to the wild.

Keiko was laid to rest in Norway in a quiet ceremony attended by the people who cared for him and helped set him free. Hundreds of children have visited the site to lay stones on Keiko's grave in a symbolic Viking tradition.

October 10th Update - Norway Strikes Down Aquarium's Bid to Capture Keiko

Government authorities in Norway are standing strong in their opposition to plans by the Miami Seaquarium to recapture Keiko, star of the Free Willy movies, and return him to a life in captivity. Norway's decision to shelter the whale in their waters left the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) no choice but to return the Seaquarium's application without review. While Norway's stance has effectively shut down the Miami Seaquarium's bid to recapture Keiko, advocates know that future challenges to this whale's freedom are inevitable. WSPA will continue to monitor this situation closely. Please check this site frequently for updates.

September 2002

On September 1st 2002, Keiko, perhaps the world's most well-known and beloved killer whale, swam into a small harbor in Norway and unintentionally sparked a chain of events which has once again pitted the humane community against the captivity industry. While Keiko supporters continue to work towards transitioning the orca to a life of freedom, members of the captivity industry want nothing more than to capture Keiko and put him back in the environment that nearly killed him. Keiko needs your help right now to ensure that his journey towards freedom will not be ended by the pursuit of profit.

News of Keiko's arrival in Norway spread like a wildfire and it wasn't long before boaters and swimmers alike took to the water to get up close and personal with this famous whale. Keiko project staff began working overtime to educate the public about the needs of this orca and to caution them that it is not in Keiko's best interest to feed him, swim with him or approach him with boats. While these interactions caused concern with Keiko's team that he might be reconditioned to seek out human contact, it is hardly the death knell on the Free Willy/Keiko project that the captivity industry would lead us to believe.

"By all accounts, Keiko has made phenomenal progress this year," said Dave Phillips, director of The Free Willy/Keiko Foundation. "He's proving he has the skills to be a wild whale, but it is critical that he not be encouraged to come to boats or people."

At the forefront of the movement to recapture Keiko is the Miami Seaquarium. Ironically, the Seaquarium not only has the smallest orca tank in the United States, but it has also been a target for activists who have been fighting for years to free the Seaquarium's lone orca, a female named Lolita. Despite how absurd this proposal sounds, the Miami Seaquarium has made a formal application to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to recapture Keiko for the purpose of public display in the amusement park's tank.

Luckily, the government of Norway, so far, is opposed to any plans to recapture Keiko and an official has offered reassurances that Keiko will not be harmed. The government has even gone so far as to enact emergency regulations to forbid people from coming within 50 meters of Keiko, an action that has dramatically decreased public interaction with the whale.

Keiko, at the center of this international controversy, first came to the public's attention after the film Free Willy hit the big screen in 1993. When moviegoers realized that Keiko, the orca that played "Willy" in the film, actually lived in conditions far worse than those depicted in the movie, a movement to free Willy/Keiko from his dilapidated tank in Mexico City began. Now, nearly ten years and $20 million dollars later, Keiko is in fact a free orca living in the wild once again.

The fact that Keiko is free makes the captivity industry nervous, and rightly so. With the rehabilitation and release of Keiko - for the first time ever - a killer whale captured from the wild and held in captivity has learned to live in the wild and successfully forage for food on his own. Keiko's arrival in Norway, a thousand miles from his sea pen in Iceland, proved his ability to travel solo travel in the waters of the North Atlantic. Project veterinarians confirmed that Keiko arrived in Norway in excellent health and had not appeared to have lost any of his weight during his journey. No wonder the captivity industry is clamoring for this orca to be recaptured, Keiko's success sets a precedent that they have fought long and hard to deny.