Keiko, the orca featured in the original Free Willy movie, became much more than the latest animal star when the film debuted in 1993. He became an animal-welfare cause unto himself. People from around the world, once they learned of Keiko's own wretched conditions in captivity, rallied to his cause. Since then, conservationists and Free Willy cineastes alike have followed the news on Keiko's rehabilitation as if he were a Hollywood celebrity.

Until his death in 2003, The HSUS played a vital role in Keiko's rehabilitation. In 2002 the organization took over day-to-day management of the Keiko Project, in cooperation with the Free Willy/Keiko Foundation. Together, the groups aimed toward that ultimate goal: returning Keiko to the wild. And in many ways, we succeeded.