Killing Keiko Read Online Free Page A
Author: Mark A. Simmons
Keiko became the star of the Warner Bros. blockbuster movie
Free Willy
and, as a result, inarguably the most famous killer whale in history. The movie depicted
a killer whale (Willy) as languishing, neglected in a small pool at a theme park.
In the movie, Willy is befriended by a lone boy and eventually spirited away back
to the wild where Willy swims off into the sunset and lives happily ever after (including
Hollywood’s production of three sequels).
After the movie, the nonprofit animal rights organization Earth Island Institute began
lobbying for a real-life release program for Keiko, intending to have him follow in
the footsteps of his fictitious counterpart. In 1994 Warner Bros. contributed $4 million
to the movement, and Earth Island Institute formed the Free Willy/KeikoFoundation (FWKF) to spearhead the release effort. Reino Aventura, under public pressure,
donated Keiko to the Free Willy/Keiko Foundation. In 1996, as the first step of a
program to return Keiko to the wild, he was transported to a newly constructed facility
at Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon. The facility cost nearly $8 million to
build.
According to the formal “Reintroduction Protocols” from the Keiko Release Project
permit:
In January 1996 Keiko was transferred from Mexico City to the Oregon Coast Aquarium
(OCA) in Newport, Oregon. Objectives for this period were to improve general health
and quality of life by providing a high-quality environment and structured rehabilitation
program and to provide for appropriate public display opportunities. Following two
and a half years of successful medical rehabilitation, on 9 September 1998 Keiko was
transported from Newport to an open-water bay pen facility in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland.
The transport was conducted, pursuant to the transfer provisions of section 104(c)(2)
of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, under an authorized National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) public display permit and an export permit issued under the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna. Iceland was chosen
as the site for potential reintroduction due to the fact that he was originally captured
in Icelandic waters. As part of the transfer operation, a public display program was
established and carried out.
From September 1998 to February 1999 in his Icelandic bay pen, Keiko did little more
than continue to gain weight. Theories and ideas about how to move forward with the
release were abundant and diverse, but mostly the Free Willy/Keiko Foundation expected
Keiko to take the initiative toward his freedom once in native waters. Some expected
him to call to his brethren; some envisioned Keiko’s mother swimming up to the bay
pen and coaxing him to follow; and still others imagined Keiko would be fattened up
and taken to sea to be dropped off with wild whales, where he would obediently swim
off into the sunset.
These were not only the ideas of the children who broke their piggy banks to contribute
to Keiko’s release; these were the machinations of the board of directors, the founders
of Earth Island Institute and the head veterinarian of the FWKF. Despite the numerous
and idealized visions of release, no concrete plan of reintroduction was ever established
beyond his relocation to Newport and later transfer to Iceland. The FWKF literally
did not know what to do next. Keiko adjusted to the climate and waters of Klettsvik
Bay, Iceland, where his bay pen was located. Beyond his weight gain and developing
an unhealthy attachment to a large Boomer Ball (a three-foot diameter hard plastic
ball, his sole companion at the time), Keiko achieved little in his preparation for
the wild during his first five months in Iceland. The program managers and the board
of the FWKF were at an impasse. They had inherited an iconic whale and an extremely
expensive operation to maintain, but no forward progress
Free Willy
and, as a result, inarguably the most famous killer whale in history. The movie depicted
a killer whale (Willy) as languishing, neglected in a small pool at a theme park.
In the movie, Willy is befriended by a lone boy and eventually spirited away back
to the wild where Willy swims off into the sunset and lives happily ever after (including
Hollywood’s production of three sequels).
After the movie, the nonprofit animal rights organization Earth Island Institute began
lobbying for a real-life release program for Keiko, intending to have him follow in
the footsteps of his fictitious counterpart. In 1994 Warner Bros. contributed $4 million
to the movement, and Earth Island Institute formed the Free Willy/KeikoFoundation (FWKF) to spearhead the release effort. Reino Aventura, under public pressure,
donated Keiko to the Free Willy/Keiko Foundation. In 1996, as the first step of a
program to return Keiko to the wild, he was transported to a newly constructed facility
at Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon. The facility cost nearly $8 million to
build.
According to the formal “Reintroduction Protocols” from the Keiko Release Project
permit:
In January 1996 Keiko was transferred from Mexico City to the Oregon Coast Aquarium
(OCA) in Newport, Oregon. Objectives for this period were to improve general health
and quality of life by providing a high-quality environment and structured rehabilitation
program and to provide for appropriate public display opportunities. Following two
and a half years of successful medical rehabilitation, on 9 September 1998 Keiko was
transported from Newport to an open-water bay pen facility in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland.
The transport was conducted, pursuant to the transfer provisions of section 104(c)(2)
of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, under an authorized National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) public display permit and an export permit issued under the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna. Iceland was chosen
as the site for potential reintroduction due to the fact that he was originally captured
in Icelandic waters. As part of the transfer operation, a public display program was
established and carried out.
From September 1998 to February 1999 in his Icelandic bay pen, Keiko did little more
than continue to gain weight. Theories and ideas about how to move forward with the
release were abundant and diverse, but mostly the Free Willy/Keiko Foundation expected
Keiko to take the initiative toward his freedom once in native waters. Some expected
him to call to his brethren; some envisioned Keiko’s mother swimming up to the bay
pen and coaxing him to follow; and still others imagined Keiko would be fattened up
and taken to sea to be dropped off with wild whales, where he would obediently swim
off into the sunset.
These were not only the ideas of the children who broke their piggy banks to contribute
to Keiko’s release; these were the machinations of the board of directors, the founders
of Earth Island Institute and the head veterinarian of the FWKF. Despite the numerous
and idealized visions of release, no concrete plan of reintroduction was ever established
beyond his relocation to Newport and later transfer to Iceland. The FWKF literally
did not know what to do next. Keiko adjusted to the climate and waters of Klettsvik
Bay, Iceland, where his bay pen was located. Beyond his weight gain and developing
an unhealthy attachment to a large Boomer Ball (a three-foot diameter hard plastic
ball, his sole companion at the time), Keiko achieved little in his preparation for
the wild during his first five months in Iceland. The program managers and the board
of the FWKF were at an impasse. They had inherited an iconic whale and an extremely
expensive operation to maintain, but no forward progress
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