Keiko's summer in the wild—in which the orca has made unprecedented progress in learning to forage—took an unexpected turn on September 1, 2002, when Keiko followed a Norwegian fishing vessel and entered a small harbor in Norway.
Keiko Project staffers, who have been in Norway monitoring the orca's VHF signal since he approached the coast, were able to locate Keiko, but not before he had interacted with several vessels and members of the public, some of whom apparently provided him with food and entered the water with him. Staff members remain on site to monitor Keiko's status and educate people about the project's goals.
"By all accounts, Keiko has made phenomenal progress this year," said Dave Phillips, director of the Free Willy/Keiko Foundation. "He's proving he has the skills to be a wild whale, but it is critical that he not be encouraged to come to boats or people. We hope the public interactions are temporary and that Keiko is able to return to the open sea."
Paul G. Irwin, president and CEO of The HSUS, echoed Phillips' comments.
"We are appealing to all boaters to avoid Keiko and give him all the space he needs to be fully self-sufficient," Irwin said. "Our efforts in moving Keiko from captivity to the wild have always been directed by Keiko's best interests. We will continue to do exactly what is best for him."
In the meantime, Keiko's lead veterinarian, Dr. Lanny Cornell, has reviewed close-range photos taken recently in Norwegian waters and has pronounced the orca "fit and thriving."
"After 60 days at sea and traveling more than one thousand miles, Keiko is strong and does not appear to have lost any weight whatsoever," Cornell stated. "There can no longer be any doubt that Keiko has foraged successfully."
Keiko was first escorted by boat from his sea pen in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland on July 7, 2002, following a visit from Iceland's Prime Minister David Oddsson. It was his first "walk" of the 2002 season, and it would become a historic one. Four days later, at 2 a.m. on July 11, Keiko separated from the boat and approached a pod of about 80–90 wild orcas. In the previous season, it took Keiko two trips to sea to approach the pod.
Excluding a brief return to his sea pen on July 15, Keiko has been in the wild ever since. According to daily satellite tracking reports, he has travelled hundreds of miles, usually about 50–60 miles a day, and continues to dive deeply into the ocean, a sign that he is indeed foraging.
"We are astonished by Keiko's progress," says Dr. Naomi Rose, marine mammal scientist with The HSUS. "He is making quantum leaps forward in the long effort to set him free."
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