Did keiko have offspring
- •
Keiko, a male orca (orcinus orca) originally captured in 1979 from a pod in Iceland, lived in Oregon for less than three years. During that time he became one of Oregon’s best-known celebrities and a major attraction at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport.
For centuries orcas were assumed to be savage predators, roving wolf packs of the sea, attacking seals, sea lions, and other whales many times their size. In the early 1960s it was discovered that orcas could adapt to captivity. They were able to form relationships with human trainers and learn spectacular tricks. A huge orca leaping from the water became a feature of aquarium shows.
An orca’s ability to sell tickets made up for the difficulty of capturing the animals and the expense of providing a habitat where they could survive. The demand for orcas led to the decimation of pods in the North Pacific, causing growing concern about the advisability of the entire enterprise.
The orca who became known as Keiko was captured in Iceland in 1979. He was exhibited there for three years, then sold to Marineland in Ontario, where he
- •
KEIKO, THE ORCA STAR OF FREE WILLY, FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS HISTORIC RESCUE
Keiko’s odyssey from a tiny tank in Mexico all the way to swimming in his home waters was a remarkable journey. After rehabilitation in Oregon for several years, Keiko lived for more than 5 years in his bay seaside sanctuary in Iceland, as well as out in the Atlantic waters, sometimes in the company of wild whales, and finally in a protected cove in Norway.
How big was Keiko?
When Keiko was rescued, he was severely underweight at only 7,720 pounds. By the time he was returned to his home waters in Iceland, he had achieved his full length of about 24 feet and weighed approximately 11,500 pounds!
What’s wrong with Keiko’s dorsal fin?
Drooping dorsal fins are rare in wild male orcas, yet happens with almost all male orcas in captivity. There is no known instance of a collapsed dorsal fin ever straightening.
Most scientists believe that this dorsal fin collapse in captive male orcas like Keiko is due to unidirectional swimming in small shallow circles along with a lack of diving
- •
Keiko (orca)
Male orca (1976–2003)
Keiko (c. 1976 – 12 December 2003) was a male orca captured in the Atlantic Ocean near Iceland in 1979, and widely known for his portrayal of Willy in the 1993 film Free Willy. In 1996, Warner Bros. and the International Marine Mammal Project collaborated to return Keiko to the wild. After years of being prepared for reintegration, Keiko was flown to Iceland in 1998 and in 2002, became the first captive orca to be fully released back into the ocean. On 12 December 2003, he died of pneumonia in a bay in Norway at the age of 27.[2]
Life
Keiko was captured near Reyðarfjörður, Iceland in 1979 at the approximate age of two and sold to the Icelandic Aquarium in Hafnarfjörður. At the time, he was named Siggi, with the name Kago given at a later date.[3][4]
In 1982, he was transferred to Marineland in Ontario, Canada. It was at this new facility he first started performing for the public. He developed skin lesions indicative of poor health, and was also bullied by an older orca. Keiko was th
Copyright ©raldock.pages.dev 2025