International Marine Mammal Project
Iceland -- In late May, the captive orca the world came to know as "Willy," moved closer to eventual freedom. In January 1996, Keiko, (the orca star of the hit movie "Free Willy") was airlifted from a marine park in Mexico City to a massive custom-built recuperation pool on the Oregon coast. On September 10, 1998, Keiko (now stronger, healthier and thousands of pounds heavier) was flown to a protected cold-water cove off Iceland, near the site of his capture from the wild, more than 20 years ago.
Since arriving in Iceland, Keiko has been steadily desensitized to human contact and he has learned to eat live fish. He has been trained to follow a lead boat out of his sea-pen to explore the seas where wild orcas are found.
In June, Keiko followed the lead boat out of his sea-pen and into open waters for the first time since he was captured at the age of two, nearly a dozen years ago.
He traveled a total of 8.7 nautical miles in about 2.5 hours, in 12-15 knot winds and 5-6-foot seas. He was energetic and frisky. In the weeks ahead, we expect to be taking him further and bringing him closer to the pods of wild orcas that frequent the area.
Keiko Tries Freedom