Even so, Oregonians still think of him as one of their own. Gabriella Cowperthwaite’s documentary film Blackfish, premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013, focused on that orca, Tillikum, who had also been involved in two other fatalities besides Ms. Brancheau’s. The final shock to the idea of captive orcas as happy, gentle giants occurred at Orlando, Florida’s Sea World in 2010 when a trainer, Dawn Brancheau, was killed by one of the animals she worked with.

Ocean Futures left the Keiko project in late 2001. In 2003, Keiko died in the company of his human caretakers. An orca’s ability to sell tickets made up for the difficulty of capturing the animals and the expense of providing a habitat where they could survive. Seven hundred people attended. 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.

)[8] Some of the content was filmed at Reino Aventura and the rest in Mexico City. Keiko was then sold to Reino Aventura, an amusement park in Mexico City, in 1985. Unfortunately, Keiko was picked on by dominant females. Keiko appeared to enjoy the attention. "[34] His return to humans for food and for company confirms the failure of the project according to the same scientific study. Keiko thrived in his new environment. Keiko remained in Taknes Bay as his health deteriorated. Keiko was the real-life orca whale star of the hit movie, Free Willy. They were able to form relationships with human trainers and learn spectacular tricks. Warner Brothers and Craig McCaw, a Northwest cellular communications entrepreneur, established the Free Willy Keiko Foundation in 1995. Muldoon, Katy. "[36], In 2010 the film Keiko: The Untold Story was released. [14] On the basis of girth measurements and blood tests, it was assumed that Keiko had fed during his 900-mile (1500 km) journey to Norway from Iceland. December 12, 2003: Keiko's life has ended. During that time he became one of Oregon’s best-known celebrities and a major attraction at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. The goal was to eventually get him healthy and train him to live in the wild. Our Action Campaign . He also suffered injuries to his melon from ice flows he encountered, not knowing where to find a breathing hole. 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. Part of his training included swimming in the ocean outside the bay. Associated Press, December 13, 2003. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3700297/ns/world_news/t/keiko-killer-whale-dies/#.XXaOCi5KhaQ, Blackfish (film). With donations from the foundation and millions of school children, the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon, US was given over $7 million to construct facilities to return him to health with the hope of eventually returning him to the wild. The film sparked a public reaction against Sea World. 恵子 — "lucky/blessed child"; 敬子 — "respectful child"; 景子 — "sunlight/view/scenic child"; 桂子 — "katsura tree child" Keiko was a 25 year old male orca who was captured in Iceland in November 1979. He accepted food from the visitors and even allowed some to climb on his back, defeating the whole purpose of bringing him from Oregon. (His journey was tracked via the signal from a VHF tag attached to the dorsal fin. He gained weight and his general health appeared to improve. Some felt his years of captivity made such a return impossible. "[36] Others also claim that the release was a success, and The Huffington Post called it a "phenomenal success ... giving him years of health and freedom". Keiko came into contact with many people over the time he was in Norway. He was flown to a sheltered bay in Iceland when Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society took over his care. Although his story did not have the happy ending of Free Willy, it changed attitudes toward “animal attractions.” Increased legislation world-wide protects orca pods as endangered species. The Oregon Coast Aquarium held a memorial service for Keiko on February 20, 2004.

[13], The plan to return him to the wild was a topic of much controversy. One positive outcome of Keiko’s story is that it became an early step in changing public attitudes in the United States and worldwide towards the morality of capturing orcas for exhibition in public and private aquariums. Keiko was the only orca at the park, but he got along well with the dolphins living there. As a result, the company ended its performing and breeding programs in all its aquariums. Blackfish documents how a highly intelligent and active animal, used to swimming 100 miles or more a day, deteriorates physically and mentally in the limited concrete pool of an aquarium. [11][12], On arrival in Oregon in 1996, Keiko was housed in a new (2,000,000 US gallons (7,600,000 l)) concrete enclosure containing seawater, his first experience with this medium. He was eventually freed in Iceland in July 2002, but died in December 2003 in Norway of pneumonia. Free Willy moviemakers, Warner Brothers, approached us to lead the historic effort to help rescue Keiko.

[20] Keiko was fully free by the summer of 2002 and departed Icelandic waters in early August following some killer whales but not integrated with the pod. In 1985, he was sold to Reino Adventura where he earned his famous name, Keiko. In 1985 Keiko was sold to Reino Aventura, an amusement park in Mexico City. Unlike the story of the orca in the film Free Willy, Keiko’s experience proved that even with the best intentions and the guidance and support of marine biologists, it was extremely difficult to return a captive orca to the wild.