rest in peace beautiful keiko... you'll always be in my heart as free willy. i'll never forget the hours of joy you gave me and my family. you were so beautiful
I'm sorry for what human greed did to you, Keiko. I really am. I'm sorry that there were people hell bent on making your life unbearable, and when good people brought you back home and returned you to what is natural and important to *you*, the damage that mankind did to you in the first place eventually ruined it all for you. This was the perfect release plan, and good hearted people *made* this all possible for him. It just took the cruelty of one set of humans to spoil kindness of another set. If only I could tell you, Keiko, that although things still aren't perfect, they are certainly a *heavy* deal better than they were for you orcas. The prisons that hold your kind prisoner, namely Seaworld, are almost at the end of their wits. They are doing all they can to make excuses for themselves, and will indubitably be forced to stop this cruelty.
When I heard that he'd died I literally broke down. Heartbroken and cried for days, but took some comfort that he got to be free for 5 years. Everybody needs to watch blackfish. Love you keiko and tilikum rip both of you xx
My dad worked on Free Willy in Oregon and when they went on location to Mexico to film him he got to go up to the tank and pet Keiko. One hell of an incredible animal. We still talk about it and have all the pictures. An animal like that should always be free, left alone and respected by man. We just make a mess when we exploit nature and animals.
Nicole Slater your dad is a hero to have been part of that experience. what an amazing tale to be able to share with your family for generations to come. i know this is a year after you posted. hope you see. 💖
@ Nikkygtv: "nikkygtv 13 hours ago Born wild, died wild." Died because he got sick... not a successful release, Keiko would still be alive (by wild orca lifespan) if he hadn't, but he did. Emotion vs reality...
***** If you want to stick to facts, here is a list of the deceased captive orcas: www.scribd.com/fullscreen/52363533?access_key=key-2fu39yqkqrvpm6brsc2c&allow_share=true&escape=false&view_mode=scroll "Keiko would still be alive (by wild orca lifespan) if he hadn't" - The average life expectancy of a male wild orca is around 30. Where do you get your information that he would still be alive today if he were still in captivity? As you can see from the age of deaths of captive orcas in the above link, Keiko would have died long ago if he'd stayed a captive orca (and would mostly likely have died after less than a year if he stayed in that tank in Mexico City and let's remember no other marine park wanted him). As for the 'not a successful release' comment, the release of an animal back into its natural environment should never be deemed a failure; the only failure is in people not recognizing the reason Keiko and other orcas were put in this situation in the first place - taken from their natural environment for the entertainment industry. Keiko left his sea pen on his own free will, traveled over 1000 miles, it was proven that he did interact (although not fully integrate into a pod), it was proven he was able to feed himself, it gave scientists important research data which has helped with the release of Springer and will hopefully help with the release of other orcas and he died free in his natural habitat, so in a lot of people's eyes this is far from a failure. Of course I'm not suggesting there were no problems with the way his release was handled, but the cynical way people try to label this as a failure to try to convince others that no orca's (or any cetaceans) could ever be released is quite nauseating.
Tim Allen ""Keiko would still be alive (by wild orca lifespan) if he hadn't" - The average life expectancy of a male wild orca is around 30. Where do you get your information that he would still be alive today if he were still in captivity?" Because died in the wild at what age? well than 100 "Lifespan: up to 50-100 years: males typically live for about 30 years, but can live as long as 50-60 years; females typically live about 50 years, but can live as long as 100 years" (www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/whales/killer-whale.html). So this was indeed a failure that stated as success. "As for the 'not a successful release' comment, the release of an animal back into its natural environment should never be deemed a failure; the only failure is in people not recognizing the reason Keiko and other orcas were put in this situation in the first place - taken from their natural environment for the entertainment industry." Do tricks for food is far less worse than what the ancient Romans did to animals or what happens in modern barbaric sport of dog fighting. Now clear something up " Died because he got sick... not a successful release, Keiko would still be alive (by wild orca lifespan) if he hadn't, but he did." As in hadn't gotten sick. By your comment towards me you must think I'm arrogant well wild can be dangerous place even for an apex predator because there not the only one. Please go do some more research and try yo keep an open mind.
+Lucas Ammons it is females that live on average 50yrs on the wild, males live 30yra on average. Keiko was about 27 or 28 yrs old. Captive males, on average, have died much earlier than this (and even from pmumonia, which is what Keiko died from). Ridiculous and completely irrelevant to bring up what the Romans did!! And what the heck does dog fighting (which is illegal anyway) have to do with this discussion? You say Keiko died if he hadn't got sick? Well of course! Hugo wouldnt have died if he didn't ram his head against the side of his tank and Kandu V wouldnt have died if she wasn't placed into an artificial pod which caused her to act aggressively and fatefully injure herself. I don't think you are arrogant at all, just extremely misinformed on this subject.
Tim Allen There is a famous quote about people who are doomed to repeat it, that's why I the Romans and dog fighting. because there are places both historically and in modern times far worse than SeaWorld. Also I said: "Keiko would still be alive (by wild orca lifespan) if he hadn't, but he did." As in hadn't gotten sick." (please read carefully.)
Michael John Ruiz: Really? And you so sure that you going to to go to heaven. It's God's decision to judge ALL of us , not yours. Curse and you will be cursed.
Nice to hear of his release, though a shame the Norwegian town cut off contact with humans for him - he relied greatly on them for so many years, must have been very stressful to just be left to fend for yourself when all your instincts were trained out of you in captivity...
2022 and I still remember clear as day all the times I visited Keiko at the Oregon aquarium as a young child. So many good memories… loved that whale. NEVER FORGET ❤️
Joel Landívar López A much bigger pool, perhaps, but yeah. It was too late to release him back in the wild. It may have been small, but he'd grown too domesticated to adapt. Activists don't seem to understand that dolphins and killer whales are on the brink of human-esque intelligence. Perhaps the _only_ others that can make such a boast. They're almost not wild animals anymore-- they don't intrinsically "long for the wild" if they've spent the majority (or all) of their lives in captivity-- they long to be with their family and friends (IE, the other orcas in captivity and their trainers, in Keiko's case and any other that was born or raised in captivity), just like we do. We shouldn't bring any _more_ into captivity, unless it's for rescue purposes of course, but we need to stop applying blanket statements to these animals like "they just want to be back in the wild".
I do not COMPLETELY agree with you. You made some mistakes. First, killer whales do NOT have human-esque intelligence. They have impressive cognitive abilities but many of their cognitive and psychological features have also been found on other animals. No to mention that killer whales in specific have the lowest EQ among all dolphins (delphinidae), which in turn have similar EQ range to non-human primates. www.bio.psy.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/papers/Dolphin_cognition%20_2014.pdf If killer whales were really human-esque in intelligence they could neither survive in the wild nor adapt psychologically in captivity, like how Keiko or other captive Orcas seem to have done. Killer whales have some very basic needs, the same as all animals. Food, socialization and resting. People ignorantly claim that swimming 100 miles a day is something they do consciously cause it's "stimulating" and they actually need it, but they say so cause they look at the ocean and the lifes of wild killer whales from the human viewpoint. This is why they watched Free Willy and went like "oh, let's release an Orca to live happy in the ocean" so Keiko remained attached to humans and then got sick and died. Killer whales can adapt mentally in captivity just like all animals. They have the normal psychology of all animals, and their size or their nature as aquatic animals doesn't change that.
Hey, 5-6 years in the ocean is still a better life than 25 in a tank followed by death. I wish Tilikum would be shown the same compassion Keiko was and at the very least, be moved to a larger tank to begin the rehabilitation and re-introduction of wildlife skills so he can finally experience the life he deserves. The fact he is still put in the position to perform is what absolutely sickens me about his story. Killing 3 people was his way of saying "enough is enough". He is not a murderer, he is just an animal who acted out of frustration and boredom. His collapsed dorsal fin says IT ALL in my opinion. He is depressed and in desperate need of a second chance at being a wild animal. I do believe it is necessary to make the release slow and steady by starting him out in a sea pen and seeing how he does before the release because it is cruel to take away an animal's ability to use their instincts effectively and expect them to just be able to tap into it automatically. Humans have enslaved these creatures out of curiosity and we owe it to them to be patient and understanding when releasing them back into the environment we deconditioned them from.
its not just as easy as setting him free. first they need to come up with millions to transfer, train him, and build/support his sea pen. even at that he still might not survive. he's young for a whale but old for a captive whale. his biggest drawback is that he is a male. male killer whale are mommas boys. yes they stay with their moms their WHOLE lives. when their mother dies in the wild they are in deep depression. they can be adopted by their sister or any other female family member but they wont have the same guidance as mother gave them. its a matriarch society so males never lead nor start pods. tilikum wont survive long in the wild. i still however want him to atleast go to a seapen or a VERY large pool. again i dont think he'll survive long in the wild. without female family members to keep him going.
I agree with what you said and I do think Tilikum would be better suited in a sea pen but, the fact is, SeaWorld doesn't seem to be working towards this goal and the frustrating thing is, they have every opportunity to START. I'm not saying this would all happen at once and it shouldn't. Like I said, Tilikum deserves patience and understanding before a dramatic change is made. He has already been moved enough in his life and from what I have come to understand, he doesn't take change well. (I don't blame him, I hate moving myself, even if it's to a better place than where I lived before.) That being said, SeaWorld has the financial support to start testing Tilikum for the things he would face in a sea-pen and honestly, they should move all of their remaining wild captured orcas to a sea-pen if they can handle the change safely. (maybe not the SAME sea-pen as I'm sure there are some that don't get along with others.) It is important to note I am not anti-SeaWorld, I am just not a supporter of where they currently stand. The way I see it, SeaWorld has immense potential to become a source of hope and joy for marine life and the people curious about it WITHOUT being a theme park. I have seen pro-caps argue that a sea-pen conservation park would not be as effective as the performance shows SeaWorld currently has their orcas doing because statistics show that conservation doesn't get as much as a response as performance and that people are more "inspired to learn" after seeing a show than just staring at animals in a conservation park and being told the facts. So what I get out of this argument first of all, is that what PEOPLE want is more important than what animals NEED. That's a gross idea and I don't care how "fascinated" people are after going to these shows, if they really love animals and want to get to know them, they will seek out the more humane methods available such as whale-watching. (which is not boring or just spewing out the facts. Anyone who has watched a wild orca video knows these animals are beautiful and amazing in the wild, and personally, I like that you don't know what to expect better than knowing that the orcas in captivity are going to do a choreographed show where the behaviors are synced to music and "inspirational" quotes, which I find to actually be cheesy and insulting if anything.) Also, I find it kind of hilarious that pro-caps want people to understand how good SeaWorld is at their job but, obviously do not believe they are capable of making an entertaining conservation park. Surely SeaWorld could beat the odds, if nobody else could. I actually believe they could make an outstanding conservation park full of marine life in terms of sea pens. Another thing that frustrates me with the pro-caps is their constant reminder that "SeaWorld no longer participates in wild captures and breeds all their animals in captivity." Oh good for them, do they want a gold star? Because all I get out of that is "instead of stealing them from their natural homes, we are breeding them in tanks so they don't know the difference and will be less prone to the negative effects our wild captures have experienced from being traumatically displaced from their families!" So ignorance is bliss for these whales? I sort of buy into the argument that because these animals are captive born and raised, they have a reliance on their trainers BUT, how does SeaWorld know for sure that these animals reliance can't be removed once they are given a more natural environment with live fish and more room to swim and be active? I can pretty safely assume that they don't since I have not seen, read, or heard ANYTHING about them doing any tests that would argue if the whales could or couldn't survive. I mean, even Keiko had trouble getting used to eating live fish at first but, case in point, once released, he was able to tap back into his instincts and survive in the wild. I'm pretty sure the captive-born have these instincts too, they just haven't had a chance to properly use them so it would properly take A LOT of tests to get them to do it but, it's worth a try. So basically, the thing that frustrates me about SeaWorld is they have the potential to treat their animals excellently but, they CHOOSE to continue with the theme park approach because it is appealing to the public. I don't buy that "performance is more educational and stimulating for an animal than a larger tank or sea pen." Orcas are smart, they can find ways to entertain themselves in a more natural environment and they don't need cheesy, choreographed performances to amaze people and interact with them. Also, SeaWorld has no humane excuse for breeding their animals EXCEPT that they want to keep their shows running. In a sea pen, they would have the opportunity to temporarily house whales whom have been injured or abandoned, in order to rehabilitate and release them back into the wild, so I don't think they would run out of whales if they stopped breeding them and had the proper accommodates to temporarily house injured marine wild life. So to me, there is no GOOD excuse for the way SeaWorld and other marine parks and aquariums continue to house performing animals, other than the fact that they know people like entertainment and want to selfishly bring in money, instead of doing what they are supposed to be doing; putting the animal's needs before their own interests.
misatchi theres workers and then theres bosses. bosses of companies are usually not hands-on involved nor care or care to see the side problems their companies might produce. all they care about is that the millions keep flowing. im sure the ppl who run seaworld really dont care about animals. if the animals werent giving them a profit they wouldnt keep them or be involvend in animal conservation. now seaworld has done alot of good. rescuing orphaned or sick animals. whipping them back into shape and releasing them back into the wild. when you have a big business, you kind of have to do charitable work to keep a positive reputation with the public. what im saying is that the bosses of seaworld really dont care about the animals or animals in general. seaword/disney has the money to support seapens and rehabilitate captive orcas but they wont do it. as far as tilikum, he brings them lots of money and lots of babies. his sperm i hear is worth alot of money. im glad blackfish is making a change but it'll only be temporary. soon it'll fade away and nothing is going to happen. the only way tilikum goes to a seapen is if someone gives seaworld an offer they cant refuse. some kind of deal that benefits seaworld. other than that tilikum is staying right where he's at. it sucks i know. business is business and at the end of the day seaworld will remain a business first and all else 2nd. breeding wild animals in captivity does make a wild animal "tame" after a while but its never 100%. snakes are considered evil and dangerous yet snakes in captivity hardly ever bite and tolerate humans very well. i have owned pythons and boas for almost 6 years now and have never been bit by one of mine but im always alert and constantly reading their behaviors. they're tame but during feeding time they are very dangerous. they're never really fully tamed and the "wild" side always has a chance to come out. same with the orcas. there are now alot of captive born-bred orcas and im sure they exhibit behaviors opposite of the wild. they still and always will be a wild animal at heart and should be treated as such. alot of these seaworld trainers are experts at training but probably dont know much about orca behavior. animals just like ppl have different personalities. keiko(free willy) was a pure sweet-heart. they said he's never harmed nor tried to harm anyone. tilikum however has showed signs of "aggression" since he was very young. just because keiko was a good boy doenst mean every orca will behave the same. i hope seaworld understands that if they want to continue keeping whales in captivity. i still believe a whale like keiko could harm a human. orcas are super intelligent which will always make them dangerous. as animal lovers it sucks to seem them suffer like that. i hope a few of them will make it to a seapen or an extremely large sanctuary pool. just like you i would visit them there. have you ever went whale watching? i never have but its one of my life goals. i want to kayak in a resident killer whale territory. see some humpacks and grey whales. i dont think much is going to change at seaworld but i hope atleast they meet us in the middle. seaworld can be very useful for conservation purposes but they have to show a little love to captive kept animals.
Once again, I agree with what you said and for the most part, it is the higher-ups and CEO's of SeaWorld that make me frustrated and consistently roll my eyes when I watch them speak or write a "convincing letter" to the public about why their orcas are perfectly fine, and by the way, don't forget about the little amount of conservation efforts they've made in relation to how much they COULD be doing with all the money they make. Now I'm not saying that I don't appreciate everything they have done, I'm just frustrated that they could be doing so much more and flat out don't even go the extra mile. As a corporation, I think they could stand to make more money by appealing to the general public, instead of making lame excuses and reasons as to why their theme parks are so awesome. This being said, I sincerely believe all of the trainers and employees at the parks themselves really do care about the animals and their jobs and I think most of them are either pro-cap because they believe they are truly helping the orcas, anti-cap but want to make sure the orcas are well taken care of, or just have too much fun at their job to believe anything negative at all. They have good intentions no doubt, but it is foolish to think animals cannot survive without us. Even domesticated dogs and cats can survive on their own, but there is a difference between domestication and captivity so I use this comparison loosely. I'm not sure the hype from "Blackfish" will fade. I think a lot of people will be refusing to go to SeaWorld now, even if the hype online gets quieter. (I can assure you I will not step foot into their parks until some big changes are met.) Loosing revenue is not a good thing for such a big corporation, so they are going to have to make SOME changes at the very least because, there are a lot more anti-caps than pro-caps emerging. If they want to appeal to a wider public, they will meet us half-way at the very least. (at least I hope so and that is all I can do. I would hate to see SeaWorld get shut down to be honest, because I think that would be devastating to the animals they currently possess and to the conservation efforts they do make. I just want to see them try harder to be the best marine life company they can be.) I agree that animals have different personalities but, I think Tilikum's incidents have given him a bad reputation. I don't think he is an "aggressive whale", I just think he may get frustrated more easily and just like humans, may not be able to always rationalize that frustration with a calm demeanor. (Once again, I can relate, especially when I am in panic/anxiety attack mode, I get fairly aggressive and do things I didn't mean to do.) I don't think Tilikum meant to kill the people he killed, even if he was aware he was doing it. I think he acted out of frustration every time and let it get the best of him. That being said, Tilikum seems to be a reasonably sweet whale when he is happy and content (I use these terms loosely as well, since I don't believe he is as happy and content as he would be in a sea pen.) Keiko probably had a higher tolerance for bullshit than Tilikum and that is why he was such a "good boy". It does suck that a change hasn't been made yet but, I try be optimistic and hopeful, because the animals deserve hope if they get nothing else in return. I have never been whale-watching but, I would love to. I did have the privilege of living on an island called Terceira, Azores in Portugal and will never forget driving away from the beach one day and seeing a whale elevate it's tail as it splashed down. It was a perfect moment. I think it was an Atlantic Humpback Whale but, since I only say it's tail, I can't say for sure and it happened YEARS ago. I live in the middle of the USA now, so whale watching is going to be a bit of an investment if I ever get to do it.
I think it depends on what extent you are doing whale watching. I think getting too close may make pods too trusting of boats and the same thing that happened to Luna could happen to an entire pod, so I am definitely aware that it could be potentially risky. However, whale watching is the safest way marine biologists can observe and learn about orcas without getting too close and making them do ridiculous shows that are "educational". Blackfish is only just getting noticed due to it's recent upload on Netflix and other popular video sites and rentals; I don't think it is quite fair to be making any assumption on it's effects just yet but, we shall see in time. Like I said, I HOPE things change and I still think Blackfish is making enough of an impact on people to remove the desire to go to marine parks and aquariums, so less money for SeaWorld is certainly something. I just wish everyone who watched it would realize SeaWorld, while not being an ideal company by any measure, is still far less evil and harmful to their animals than other places. HOWEVER, this does not excuse SeaWorld for continuing to do something insulting and wrong to their animals and repeatedly defending themselves with warn out reasons as to why their captive whales are happy and safe, and their statement about "oh, don't forget about all the conservation we do!" Oh, you mean the 0.06% you take out of the money you earn to help a few good causes? No one was even pointing a finger at the good things they do, everyone is disturbed by the lack of effort to change things so the orcas and other performing animals can live more natural lives. A person on tumblr put this perfectly: "Just because you are petting one dog doesn't give you the right to kick another one." That is where I stand with SeaWorld and if you read my last post, I do realize that RIGHT NOW things aren't changing and maybe they won't but, I HOPE THEY DO. That is all I can do and if Blackfish spreads more and people continue to do the research, it will change. Optimism isn't so terrible and we should always hope and strive for change so I'm not sorry for believing that things CAN get better. Whether they do or not, is only a matter of time and money.
Keiko went through more then most humans. He was a beautiful majestic animal. The people who took him from his family should be changed to the fullest extent of the law.
Just a little info: Keiko was free in ocean water for 6 years. He got caught in a horrible storm in Norway that led to the pneumonia. And sumli4eva is correct, as soon as they got him out of Mexico they put him in water temperatures that wild orcas live in. The reason he had the papillomavirus around his pectorals and tail was because of the warm, untreated water of his tank in Mexico which cleared quickly after the move to Oregon.
Keioko was really only free for two years he was kept in a barrier on a coastline for a while. That does not count as FREE! He was released in 2001 and died in 2003. Watch this doco:(Ocean Adventures:Call of the Killer Whale) on you tube for the full true story.
+1BorrisNorris He was still in the ocean and was given chances to leave with whales on his "walks" and eventually he did and disappeared for awhile (weeks or months, I forget which) and then came back. If we get all the Sea World whales free, the captive born whales would be put in similar environments because they have no pod and it would be harder to teach them to survive. Better to be back in the ocean than in a tank for those extra 3-4 years.
Karen Bettencourt thats the problem they wouldn't know how to survive its the same for tillikum and lolita they were ripped from their pods as calves unless they left a tracker on their pods they wont be able to find them.
Keiko was born Wild and died in Norway as wild and free. Rest in Peace my Sweet baby boy Whale you Change everything for Capativity Whales to be free and Wild again. Norway will always love and Respect your Rest place forever Keiko. I was fighting for your Freedom to be free and wild again in your natural Habitat.
Keiko died on a Tuesday. My oldest brother had a beautiful, long hair German Shepherd, Rebel, who died of cancer on Thursday, two days after Keiko's death.
@@aleeciahilliard197 : That movie, "Free Willy" touched my heart and soul for years. I wish I could have gone to Norway, or Iceland, wherever he finally ended up, and met him. I'm sixty-seven years old, asthmatic, crippled with arthritis; but the number one thing I have on my "bucket list" is to go swimming with killer whales in the wild. I was deeply attached to both of my brother's two German Shepherds, Rebel and Brandi. I still miss them. I was their favorite uncle. They loved me. David's two granddaughters were just little kids when he had the two dogs. If Rebel and Brandi (he might have spelled it Brandy; I don't remember) were out in the yard, watching over Alexus and Kali, and anyone came up that the two dogs did not know, Rebel and Brandy would get in front of the two kids and smile at that person. And anyone with half a brain, would know, don't get any closer to those two kids. They were the same way with me. They were very, very gentle German Shepherds. Their vet had told my brother on more than one occasion that they were the two most gentle Shepherds he had ever seen. But those two dogs were very protective of us. They both died of cancer. And then, in March 2006, David and I acquired three wolf/wolf hybrids; Ricky, Rocky, and Sara. They were from a litter of eleven puppies that were born January 28, 2006. Rocky died on election night, November, 2016. My Sara died in June of 2018. Ricky's still living. He's fourteen. They were wolf/wolf hybrids. Their father was an Arctic wolf named Spirit, and their mother was a MacKenzie Valley white timber wolf named Toschi. If you spoil and baby and give a wolf lots of love, they can reciprocate that love; which these three did. For some reason, Ricky has always wanted to bite (but very gently) my right elbow. It's a love bite. He's always done it. Every once and a while, he bites a little too hard and I have to scold him, "Don't bite so hard." Then he's sorry, and I have to tell him , "It's OK. I'm not mad at you. I still love you." And he feels better. He never really hurts me. He's never broken the skin. He just can't help himself. But he also wants to bite my stomach. I have to draw the line there. He doesn't want to hurt me. These are love bites. He loves me. I'm his favorite uncle. I was devastated when Rocky died. I still miss him. I still feel like someone has ripped my chest open and torn out my heart. Rocky was the sweetest, gentlest, most affectionate creature I've ever known. He loved loving. He weighed around 130 pounds when he died. He was huge. And wolves are very smart. But they are also very sensitive. It's very easy to hurt their feelings. For some reason, my stupid cats would get in the pen with Sara, and she'd kill them. I'd be mad at her, but I just couldn't get on to her. It would hurt her feelings if I scolded her too harshly. I'd just have to point my finger at her and say, "Naughty, naughty bad girl." It's very easy to hurt wolves feelings and it's very easy to hurt Border Collies' feelings; because they are extremely intelligent.
I wanted to become a marine biologist when i was 3 (I was born in 1997 when the movie Free Willy was out in the old dchool vhs tapes and when i watched it i continued to just rewind and play it over and over, even with the next 2 movies) because of you, you inspired me greatly Kieko, and while you were born free and held captive for years, im glad to know you were at least able to die free in the wild like you were meant to.
He deserved human contact. He had a big heart and got attached to humans. All orcas belong in the wild. But those people in the boats did the right thing. He needed attention.
i am 18 years old ive watched freewilly so much back in the day and even know adays my brothers always bugged me favourite movie ever and makes me tear up all the time R I P :'(
When I was a kid, my mom and I were two of the many people who donated money to help take Keiko home to the wild. At the time, we thought it was the right thing to do. Now, it's clear that our efforts were all in vain. We wanted to help him, but we failed. 😭😭😭😭 We should've known that releasing a tamed animal into the wild was a serious and risky thing to do. RIP Keiko. I'm sorry that I couldn't save you. T_T
Its known in the wild killer whales live 80 to over 100 years, in captivity they are lucky to live half that long...that tells you a lot right there...
+JoJo Kadilihopper Keiko lasted less than 2 years in the wild... This Orca was killed by good intentions. He, as a social species, died lonely because hes extensive contact with human made him unable to join any Orca groups despite trying. They talked about this in the news constantly while he was alive in Norwegian waters. Keiko should instead have been switched to a semi free rain Orca. Remained a tourist attraction with regulated contact. Meaning if you contacted the whale in private via your own boat or something you would be fined and so on. While having tourism keep it indirectly company and the income source pay for its food. I also think they should have contemplated inserting a prosthetic metal or composite rod to let the Orca regain its upwards fin again.
+Lobos222 Orcas are prone to respiratory infections. Kalina died suddenly as well in captivity, with no more than a day's notice that she was sick. Keiko was dying in Mexico. One thing is for sure, he made his own decision. When he had a chance to go - he went - his destiny was his decision - and he swam all the way to Norway, which is a tremendous expression of independence and freedom. He would never have lived this long in captivity in Mexico, and it took a long time to just get him up to proper weight and health. If his life was short lived, it's because of the damage done him in captivity; not his release. He could have always just stuck around, you know. They did not run him out with explosives. And he didn't go back either. He started swimming and kept swimming; finally, instead of swimming in circles his whole life.
JustVinnyBlues Keiko had a ton of human contact in Norway and it lasted the rest of hes life. He even had a human care taker that would visit him. Why did he swim North? Maybe Orcas like colder waters. Who knows...
JustVinnyBlues Keiko had a ton of human contact in Norway and it lasted the rest of hes life. He even had a human care taker that would visit him. Why did he swim North? Maybe Orcas like colder waters. Who knows...
One of the most heart breaking stories ~ I haven't felt this sad in a while. I can't fathom why we as humans would even contemplate taking these magnificent creatures out of an environment in which they are perfectly adapted for and then plonk them in a tiny pool surrounded by concrete (all this at the age of 2 years old). Really poor Keiko and all his fellow Orcas who had the same fate. The poor guy struggled to survive and even though in the end peoples intentions were good sadly the damage was done and he couldn't be fixed or saved. Only 27 years old. Oh Keiko I love you. Please leave the Orcas in the sea.
You could here it in the reporters voice she’s holding back her sadness! Rip Keiko! We’re all so happy you died a free whale! Forever you’ll be in our hearts!
he never assimilated into his pod,...held in captivity for decades once released he sort human companionship,, this was banned, so in actual fact he died ALONE....and was probably this isolation in the wild that led to his decline in health and death due to the high emotional intelligence this led to depression and suppression of his immune system therefore succumbing to pneumonia
I hate sea world now. People did a good deed by setting Keiko free. None of this would have happened if they hadn't captured him in the first place though. Poor baby 😔 RIP Keiko
These are majestic animals full of courage & life, that should be respected! They are not here for our entertainment, all aquariums should be shut down and all these animals should be released to be wild & free as God intended! They don't belong in crowded pools doing stupid tricks for the masses. How would you feel as a human being being held in captivity away from your family and natural environment?, you'd eventually snap too and want your freedom. These animals should be treated with dignity & respect just like humans, why do they deserve less?!
to those saying about the warm water, i'm pretty sure I saw a documentary that the oregon aquarium had freezing temperatures and salt water to assimilate him to ocean temps, so much so that the docs had to wear wetsuits when entering the water. So it can't have been that they set him straight from warm water to cold.
It's so sad Keiko died I love watching Free Willy and he was the best will I ever saw I even donated money for the charity his spirit will always live on and all the children
Poor Keiko , just as he was getting a real life....its odd his dorsal fin never straightened out. I'm happy he was rescued and relocated to his home. His story won't be forgotten ❤💯 RIP Keiko Angel
I saw orcas for the first time at SeaWorld Orlando several years ago, and they are the most beautiful, awesome creatures! It saddens me about Keiko, and I wish now that all orcas could live free with their pods. RIP Keiko!
what they should've done was when they planned to set Keiko free was began to gradually decrease the warm temperature in his aquarium at the Oregon Aquarium that way he'd be used the to the water and wouldn't have gotten pneumonia in the first place!!!!! but as they say in Macbeth "what's done is done" RIP Keiko you are missed!!! :'(
however I do agree that he shouldn't have been captured in the first place but im also glad that he didn't pass away in an aquarium that he did in fact die in what he was born to the ocean where he belongs! Love Keiko always and forever!!
He survived for five years in the wild. He died of pneumonia, not starvation or inability to live as a wild orca lives. He was sick when taken out of captivity and shown to steadily heal and do better in the ocean waters. Do these Orca's justice and educate yourself on them before you mislead others into believing they are better off in captivity. Living in the ocean, he managed to live longer than captive Orca's.
I'm glad he got to go back to the sea before he died. Yes, he was very bonded to humans but at least he had all the room to roam around that he wanted. It's more than so many others have been given.
What's crazy and incredibly messed up is because Norway, along with Denmark and Japan, have this tradition of killing 1000/1500 of Wales and Dolphins each year they say to help with the poor but 500 or more were left in the bloody waters off the Faroe Island, slowly dying. Where there's salmon and other live fish hatcheries. Bating them?? Who knows. If it's going to help with feeding the poor and I'm not a Peta person or anything, but the fact that most go to waste really bothers me. It breaks my heart. Really honestly don't understand it. At all.....
I love how humans just in a whim kidnap wild animals denying them of their natural family, then on another whim release them back to the habitat they are no longer familiar with, and ultimately contributing to the death of this amazing animal. Experimenting on animals like this for our own curiosity and entertainment is cruel.
Agree. Releasing him actually killed him since he was a docile orca who preferred human companionship and could not survive on his own. He could not really survive in the wild without a pod. It is like being a homeless orphan.
They were idiots for putting him in Iceland after him being so used to being in the sun all day every day for years. Of course he was going to get sick.
No nono nono! Haha they did it because there were 5 orca pods in iceland, and one had the same "dialect" as Keiko, wich meant that he was related to one of them I think. He wouldn't have gotten along with an unfamiliar orca "family".
They never took him to Iceland, he swam there himself. And lived a few years there mingling with other pods. That's were Keiko was originally from. Yes he got sick and died, but he was already pretty old for a bull and at least he died free.
Wrong, in fact the truth is practically the opposite of what you're saying. Keiko had a severely compromised immune system because his pool in Mexico was too small and too warm for him. It caused him a number of health problems, including a skin virus and respiratory problems. As soon as he was moved to Newport to be rehabilitated, his health improved drastically. His skin virus cleared, he gained weight, he exercised regularly, and his immune system became strong. He was also being trained on how to hunt fish by his caretakers. When he was moved to the sea pen in Iceland, he remained healthy and thrived, and was closely monitored by his caretakers. His age at his time of death is considered near average for wild bull orcas, and his cause of death (pneumonia) is a common cause of death in wild orcas. He was prevented from fully integrating into the ocean because he never found his original pod, and other pods of orcas rejected him. He was socially maladapted, constantly seeking out humans for companionship as he couldn't socialize with his own kind. The cause of his maladapted social skills of course, is that he was taken away from his family in the first place.
Sad they took him away from his family at 2 years old, but they Should've kept him out of the wild around people the rest of his life. He loved it. Couldn't imagine being put back into the wild all by yourself. That was even worse imo.
I'd rather have that whale experience 18 months off freedom than die in a man made tank while doing circus tricks. I'm willing to bet he would too along with any CAPTURED orca. Tilikum needs to be released. They know where his pod is. To keep him captive in such a small pool is abuse! Give them a chance to be free! I went to Sea World once when I was 21 years old. Never again. Even our children declined going while on a summer trip with friends. I've never forced my opinions on them, but I am proud that they know what's right!!!
Tilikum is NOT in a small tank. Of you're referring to the famous picture of Tilikum in a small tank that he is longer than then you're a little thick, it's a medical pool and the gate WAS open. But he stayed in there because Dawn was there. Tilikum currently mainly lives in the UWV Pool.
Tilikum (and all the other cetaceans, seals and walruses) is in a pathetically small tank, with a poor diet with no stimulation and is forced to perform shows. Orcas in the wild can swim up to 100 miles a day, he'd have to swim the circumference of his pool 1900 times a day (actual facts). He has little or no socialisation with other orcas, the ones that he may interact with in seaworld are not his family. Male orcas in the wild stay with other male orcas and become best friends, the don't associate much with females and young. But no, you know better, how could we be so ignorant. Seaworld is an awful place and I hope they and other oceanariums are shut forever. Boycott oceanariums!
Emily Desmond The tank isn't small, their diet doesn't just consist of fish, they do get stimulation, from shows, training and play, they are NOT forced to perform. He does vocalise around his grandson trua, they are his family, except for Katina ect but most of the young are, they are his offspring
Everything practically in captivity is his freaking offspring. They collect from that poor whale constantly. You're just another Seaworld drone. ANYONE who believes it's right to keep these animals CAPTIVE should be ashamed of themselves!!! I really don't know how you people can look at yourselves in a mirror.
Tilikum is not healthy enough for a release. His teeth alone not to mention his other problems. But Lolita at the Miami seaquarium is a perfect candidate. Her tank is the smallest anywhere and she lives all lone without any companion. She is in excellent health and so are her teeth. Her family is still monitored.......free Lolita the saddest orca on the planet!
+Doodle Dude he will never be ready, due to his traumatic experience within sealand not seaworld, it would be like released a blood hungry great white shark into a swimming pool (not going to happen but its a way of explaining) He is used to people and would do the same as Keiko however would end up killing them that come near like he has done with the previous 3 people within captivity (captivity you have more control were as in the wild he would be unpredictable) he would also be seriously ill like Keiko as he could die from a disease like Keiko or could even die from starvation or even hypothermia as he would not be used to the water temperature. Same could possibly happen with Loita, she would not be at a stable state. if you want me to tell you the truth non of the killer whales or dolphins in captivity are as they rely on humans, and they won't have the immune system which they would in the wild as there is no/not a lot of diseases which can occur in captivity unlike the wild!
I remember one time when I was kid and went to Reino Aventura park ,I came so close to see him perform, but I guess it was not meant to be. I am so sad 'cos he's gone , but at least he went free. I still remember you. Be at peace ...my childhood dream !
Rest In Peace Keiko, i cried the whole time about what you went through & especially when they took you from your mama & family, I hate these people and I hope karma gets them at the end, all the suffering you and your family went through ♥️
"My Poor Poor,Poor,Willy!!!!!!!!!! WHY THE HELL DID THEY KEEP MOVING HIM TO STUPID TANKS,INSTEAD OF PUTTING HIM IN THE OCEAN!!!!!!!REST IN PEACE MY WILLY!!!!!!
I was watching a VHS recording of the first Free Willy film that day. When it was over, I turned off the VCR and, wouldn't you know it, this KOMO news segment popped up. One moment I was crying at the end of an iconic movie; then I was crying at the end of the life of an iconic animal. At least he got to go back to the waters where he was born. He Was Free. I'm thankful I got to see him while he was in Oregon (of course that was also the last time I saw orcas in captivity. I've been seeing wild orcas every year in the San Juan Islands since 1996, except for 2013 & 2017).
That’s the bad thing when you keep an animal in captivity they are so use to you giving them fish that when you release them, they don’t know how to hunt, so they can’t survive.
5 years of freedom in open waters or a lifetime in a tiny tank constantly sick and on permanent medication. The choice is very simple to me: 5 years of freedom any day of the week and twice on a Sunday.
Keiko not "Keika" is a girl's name. The daughter of Peruvian former president who has a Japanese descendant is named Keiko. She is one of the candidates for the Peruvian presidencial elections.
