What is the latest news about Keiko?
On September 1, Keiko apparently followed a Norwegian
fishing vessel and entered a small harbor in Norway where he
interacted with several vessels and members of the public, some
of whom evidently provided food to him and entered the water.
Project staff remain on site in Norway to monitor Keiko's
status and educate people about the project's goal. We are now
engaged in an effort to alert media and the public in Norway to
avoid further interaction with Keiko, as human contact could
erode the incredible progress he has made to return to the
wild. HSUS staff are in Norway now conducting a massive
educational effort with children and the townspeople on why
it's important to avoid contact with Keiko. We are also working
with local and federal officials to set up guidelines for
approaching Keiko when he is in and around the fjord.
Our most recent data on Keiko show that he is making real
progress and is still on a track toward freedom. After
receiving satellite transmissions indicating he was moving
toward the Norwegian coastline, we dispatched two staff members
to Norway. They made visual observations of Keiko on August 30.
After analyzing this photographic data and comparing it to
photographs taken of Keiko prior to his departure from Iceland,
Keiko's veterinarian, who has more than 30 years of experience
working with orcas, has determined that Keiko is in excellent
condition and has not lost any weight. This photographic
evidence is also a strong indication that Keiko has foraged
successfully in the wild and is capable of sustaining himself
in the wild.
What is The HSUS going to do to
help Keiko?
In cooperation with the Free Willy/Keiko Foundation which
still maintains legal custody of Keiko, we will continue to
monitor Keiko on a daily basis. If data changes in a way that
indicates Keiko is in distress and the Free Willy/Keiko
Foundation requests The Humane Society of the United States to
assist with an intervention to insure his health and safety, we
are fully prepared to do so. The Free Willy/Keiko Foundation
has many options under consideration to encourage Keiko to move
to the waters in the Atlantic Ocean. Right now, we'd like Keiko
to make that decision on his own. For that reason, the effort
to discourage people from interacting with Keiko is
continuing.
Should Keiko be moved back into
captivity?
Not in our opinion. Even though Keiko has been held captive
for most of his life, he's been making amazing strides towards
freedom. His reappearance in excellent health after six weeks
in the wild was conclusive evidence that Keiko has learned to
forage on his own. His veterinarian has reviewed recent photos
and reports that Keiko is doing very well.
We believe that if the people who have been flocking to see
Keiko would leave, he will lose interest and move on, possibly
to join a pod off the coast of Norway. Please be assured that
we will continue to do everything necessary to insure Keiko's
health and safety while giving him the best possible chance to
become what he should have been all along—a free, wild
orca.
It is worth noting that captivity has proven to be deadly
for orcas—21 have died in aquariums since Keiko was removed
from Mexico. We're committed to making every effort to see his
quest for freedom fulfilled. It's also important to remember
that ten years ago, Keiko was floating in a dilapidated tank in
Mexico City. He was underweight and he suffered from a serious
skin condition. This whale, who was born in the cool waters of
the North Atlantic, languished in 80° tap water sprinkled with
table salt. It's amazing to think that the same animal just
covered a thousand miles in the open ocean, is diving up to 75
meters for fish and is in excellent health.
Is Keiko in danger in Norway?
We don't believe he is in physical danger. A Norwegian
government official has offered reassurances that Keiko will
not be harmed, despite a widely reported call from a Norwegian
whale researcher for Keiko to be destroyed. The reports of
children frolicking with Keiko are very troubling. The effort
to free Keiko is in jeopardy because of these irresponsible
activities. We plead with the public to leave Keiko alone.
Just because Keiko has approached vessels now, doesn't mean
that he can't make it in the wild or won't return to the open
sea. What Keiko needs is to have the space to continue being a
wild whale. The project managers have taken just the right
approach of educating the boaters and the public that it is not
in Keiko's best interests to feed him, swim with him or
approach him with boats.
This isn't the first time Keiko has followed boats and it
may not be the last. But that is no reason to pull the plug on
his reintroduction to the wild. He needs continual
reinforcement for keeping distant from boats. It certainly can
be successfully done.
What if Keiko does not join a pod
of orcas?
The leading orca whale experts in the world have stated
that, at this point, Keiko's ability to feed himself in the
wild is more important than traveling with whales. There are
plenty of examples of wild male orca whales being on their own
for significant periods of time. Keiko has spent a lot of time
with orca groups and he will surely encounter more orca groups
in the future.
Can Keiko ever be free?
Many people have doubted Keiko's ability to succeed at every
step of the way. Some people felt he would not survive the move
from Mexico City to Oregon, or that his skin condition would
never heal, or that he would never learn to eat live fish or
survive in the wild. At each stage he has proved his naysayers
wrong. We are optimistic that Keiko has learned the skills he
needs to be a wild whale and we will continue to give him the
choice to do that.
