For an orca who has spent most of his life around people, Keiko
appears content this summer to swim with the vast marine life
that populates the North Atlantic Ocean.
As of Tuesday, August 13, teams determined that the world's
most famous whale was about 100 miles north of the Faroe
Islands and about 300 miles east of his sea pen in
Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland.
The sheer distance of Keiko's travels since July 15, when he
last left his sea pen after a small meal, makes Naomi Rose,
marine mammal scientist for The HSUS, believe the orca has
learned to eat on his own. "The distance Keiko is traveling
each day would be debilitating if he weren't eating," Rose
says. "He just couldn't keep swimming those distances if he
were malnourished."
What's more, data from Keiko's satellite tag indicate he's
often diving 40 to 60 meters, Rose says, which is consistent
with the depths typically reached during foraging and
feeding.
"We are astonished by Keiko's progress," says Rose. "He is
making quantum leaps forward in the long effort to set him
free. We have good reason to hope that he is on the verge of
true independence."
But Rose and others won't know for certain until they can
visually inspect Keiko, something they have been unable to do
since July 27. Teams had been tracking the orca closely, from
about a mile or two back, until July 31 when storms forced them
back into harbor. The August 13 location was determined via
satellite tracking, which provides readings once a day.
Earlier, an aerial observation team, using a satellite
reading from August 9, went to scout the satellite's
coordinates in the North Atlantic. What the team found was an
area teeming with marine life. Although he wasn't spotted
himself, Keiko's unique radio signal was coming in loud and
clear in an area where many cetaceans, including dolphins and
whales, are feeding on blue whiting and herring.
The HSUS and Keiko's handlers will continue to monitor Keiko
via satellite and will strive for a visual confirmation of his
condition. A visual of Keiko will give The HSUS a clear idea if
he's eating. If the orca is not consuming fresh fish, says
Richard Farinato, HSUS director of captive wildlife protection,
the whale will show a noticeable loss of weight in the neck
area.
This is an important period in the 2002 feeding season off
Iceland. In a few more weeks, the orcas and other cetaceans in
the North Atlantic will move to their winter feeding grounds,
of which little or nothing is known. At that point, Keiko will
have to decide what he wants to do.
"If he stays with other whales, he should find food all
winter long and may indeed return to Vestmannaeyjar in the
spring," Rose notes. "If he is alone, we will have to assess
our options with the idea of doing what's best for Keiko."
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