Keiko, the orca whale that starred in the hit movie, "Free Willy" in 1993 is the only captive orca to be released back into the wild.
An award winning new documentary 'Keiko The Untold Story' lets fans know what really happened to the whale once he returned to his birthplace in the waters of Iceland. The documentary explains how Keiko lived in unacceptable conditions at an amusement park in Mexico City, the two years he spent in Orgeon to regain his health and then his return to Iceland where he died FREE.
Keiko died in 2003 from pnuemonia. Even in the years, he was set free, Keiko relied on humans and was never re-united with his family. Many people still debate whether it was the right decision to return him to the wild. Because of Keiko's experience, the fate of 42 other orca whales has changed immensely.
According to this documentary, Keiko was born in 1977 or 1978 in the Atlantic Ocean near Iceland. When he was 2, he was captured by a fishing boat. Canada bought him in 1982 and he became a performing animal. In 1985, he was sold to an amusement park in Mexico city for $350,000 where he performed for audiences for a good 14 years, living in a pool that was made for dolphins.
He ended up getting a skin disease because the pool was not equipped to cool according to the need of an orca whale.There was no other aquarium big enough for him. In 1993, Keiko became a star because of the hit movie 'Free Willy' but fans and media highlighted how he was living in poor conditions at the park.
So the Free Willy Keiko Foundation raised millions of dollars to relocate him but his health had started getting worse in the pool. In 1996, he was moved to Oregon Coast Aquarium. There the people worked on improving his health and taught him how to hunt for live fish because they wanted to set him free. He got much better with the care and his skin condition disappeared living in natural sea for the first time in 14 years.
In 1999, Keiko was released in Iceland but he was watched carefully through tracking device. He even interacted with other orca whales. But by 2002, he started spending time away from the caretakers. He disappeared for 50 days.
By 2003, Keiko was becoming weak and he died of acute pnuemonia. He was the second oldest male orca ever to have been in captivity.
After reading about his life, I feel so sad. All the while people used Keiko and made lots of money. It is sad to note how he was taken away from his family at the age of 2, then lived in a pool performing for audiences and even when he was released he could not find his family.
