7. Free Willy/ Keiko, the Whale
Keiko was the orca whale who played the character of Willy in the film, ‘Free Willy’. Born in 1976, Keiko became a part of the Free Willy team in 1993. He was cast in the movie to play the role of the killer whale that lives under a neglected ownership and is freed by a little boy. Ironically, Keiko himself was captured from the Icelandic wild in 1979 and sold to the aquarium, where he lived for three years until he was sold to Marineland in Ontario where he performed for the public. But, he developed skin lesions, indicating his health deterioration. He was then sold to an amusement park in Mexico City in 1985. After Free Willy, Warner Brothers Studio and entrepreneur, Craig McCaw, jointly tried to return Keiko to his home, and established the Free Willy – Keiko Foundation in 1995. For many years after that, constant efforts were put in to help Keiko. Donations were collected, transportation facilities were built and Keiko was regularly monitored. After many failed efforts and hindrances, he was finally reunited with his wild friends in August, 2002. But, within three months, he returned to Norwegian fjords, seeking human contact and giving free rides to children. On 12th December, 2003, Keiko breathed his last, in the Norwegian fjords.
Discussion about this post