Atlantica - 01.11.2002, Page 12

10 A T L A N T I C A
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10 A T L A N T I C A
Hollywood made it look so easy. In the 1993
film Free Willy, all it took was one devoted
child and in 90-odd minutes an ailing killer
whale held captive in a cramped aquarium
jumped to freedom.
For the real-life Keiko, it’s been a much
longer saga: a nine year, nearly USD 20 mil-
lion story which included a four-year
stopover in Klettsvík bay, in Iceland’s
Westman Islands. During his years in
Iceland, Keiko went on intense sea walks
designed to strengthen the whale and rein-
troduce him to wild orcas. Then, in mid-
July, came the moment Keiko’s handlers
had been patiently waiting for: Keiko fol-
lowed a pod of orcas and swam his way to
freedom after more than 20 years in captiv-
ity.
A triumphant end to an incredible journey,
right? Wrong.
Keiko swam with his new pod for six
weeks, but then abandoned his friends for
the cosy surroundings of Skálavíkurfjördur
fjord in Norway (250 miles northwest of
Oslo). At home amongst humans, a circus-
like atmosphere developed as excited
Norwegian tour boats sailed eager tourists
within an arm’s reach of Keiko. Kids fed and
petted Keiko, while some daring whipper-
snappers even jumped into the water and
went swimming with what was supposed
to be a wild whale.
It seems as though Keiko still longed for
easy food and a bit of that human touch.
"It is a step backward for his reintroduction
into the wild,” Colin Baird, one of Keiko’s
handlers, told reporters.
What’s next for the whale currently strand-
ed halfway between the natural world and
a world dominated by humans?
While different sea aquariums in the US
have made formal applications to bring
Keiko back to captivity, that scenario looks
unlikely. The whale is (at press time) still
swimming in Skálavíkurfjördur fjord and is
being monitored by his handlers. Local
Norwegian authorities have instituted a
165-foot ban around him, in the hopes that
Keiko will begin hunting for his own food,
rather than receiving handouts, and even-
tually swim out to sea before coastal ice
forms.
If Keiko decides he’s not ready for the
vicious winter, not to worry. His handlers
are looking for a sheltered fjord in Norway,
where Keiko can remain in contact with
other orcas, insisting that Norway is just a
transit stop on the way to the wild ocean.
EW
Last summer Keiko surprised everyone and swam his way to freedom.
He lasted six weeks in the open ocean before seeking out humans in a Norwegian fjord.
Free At Last
(WELL, SORT OF)
KEIKO
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