Free Republic

Willy was never really free. The killer whale star of the Hollywood movie Free Willy had to be cared for by humans even after he was released and he never successfully integrated with his wild kin. Researchers now say attempts to return him to the wild were misguided. We believe the best option for [Willy] was the open pen he had in Norway, with care from his trainers," says Malene Simon of the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, who participated in efforts to reintegrate the cetacean in the wild and is lead author of the study. "He could swim as...

Feb 21, 2004 Oregonians Bid Farewell to Keiko, a Popular Killer Whale, With Songs, Poems, Exhibits By Joseph B. Frazier Associated Press Writer NEWPORT, Ore. (AP) - Nearly 700 people, some wiping away tears, turned out to bid farewell to Keiko, the killer whale who starred in the popular "Free Willy" movies, and died overseas in December. The crowd gathered Friday at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, where he splashed his way into visitors' hearts from 1996 to 1998. "Keiko was not one of our kind but nonetheless he was still one of us," Thomas Chatterton, a veterinary chaplain said during...

Carcass of Keiko the whale could pose environmental threat 54 minutes ago Add Science - AFP to My Yahoo! OSLO (AFP) - Keiko the whale, the star of the 'Free Willy' movies who died last month of pneumonia and was buried in Norway, could pose an environmental hazard, Norwegian environmentalists warned. AFP/Scanpix/File Photo     The six-tonne carcass of the killer whale could contain about half a kilo of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) that have been absorbed and built up over the 27 years of his life. Kaare Olerud, spokesman for the Norwegian Organisation for the Protection of Nature, said...

When Keiko the killer whale, star of the movie "Free Willy," beached himself earlier this month in western Norway, the story of probably the most expensive animal in human history came to an end. By the time of Keiko's death, seven years of effort and more than $20 million had been spent vainly -- and unwisely -- trying to return the whale to the wild. Although Paul Irwin, president of the Humane Society of the United States, committed his organization to providing Keiko "with the chance of freedom," there was never a shred of evidence to suggest that freedom was...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. When Keiko the killer whale, star of the movie "Free Willy," beached himself earlier this month in western Norway, the story of probably the most expensive animal in human history came to an end. By the time of Keiko's death, seven years of effort and more than $20 million had been spent vainly — and unwisely — trying to return the whale to the wild. Although Paul Irwin, president of the Humane Society of the United States, committed his organization to providing Keiko "with the chance of freedom," there was never a shred of evidence to suggest that...

OSLO, Norway - Keiko, the killer whale star of the "Free Willy" movies, was buried Monday in a snow-bound pasture during the deep darkness of Nordic winter in a ceremony kept secret from the public. "We wanted to let him be at peace," said Dane Richards, one of his caretakers. "He's free now and in the wild." The roughly six-ton whale died Friday in a Norwegian bay where his team was trying to reintroduce him to the wild. His trainers said the likely cause of death was pneumonia. Richards said the burial in a pasture just yards from where Keiko,...

<p>OSLO, Norway (AP) — Keiko, who gained fame starring in the Free Willy movies, has died in a Norwegian bay that he made his home after a 10-year campaign failed to coax him back to the open seas.</p> <p>The whale, which was about 26-years-old, died Friday after suddenly contracting pneumonia in the Taknes fjord in Norway.</p>

OSLO, Norway - Keiko, the killer whale made famous by the ``Free Willy'' movies, has died in the Norwegian fjord that he made his home after a multimillion dollar campaign failed to coax him back to the open seas. The whale, who was 27, died Friday afternoon after the sudden onset of pneumonia in Taknes Bay, 370 miles northwest of the capital, Oslo. He was old for an orca in captivity, though wild orca live an average of 35 years. David Phillips, executive director of the San Francisco-based Free Willy-Keiko Foundation, said Keiko had been in good health but started...

Oslo — Keiko, the killer whale star of the Free Willy movies has died, his caretakers said early Saturday morning. The whale, which was 27 years old, died after the sudden onset of pneumonia in the Taknes fjord in Norway on Friday afternoon. His animal-care specialist, Dane Richards, said the disease struck the cetacean fairly quickly. “He exhibited some signs of lethargy and lack of appetite,” Mr. Richards said early Saturday morning. Mr. Richards said Keiko's illness was sudden and veterinarians had monitored his progress but the whale died quickly. “We checked his respiration rate and it was a little...

Celebrity killer whale Keiko appears to have made himself at home in a remote bay off Norway's northwest coast. Both Keiko and his keeper from Iceland were ready for their first Norwegian Christmas, with herring on the menu. Thorbjorg Valdis Kristjansdottir, 31, came to Norway after Keiko surfaced in a Norwegian fjord on September 1. She had worked with him in Iceland to reintroduce Keiko to the wild after some 20 years of captivity and film stardom. She has stayed with him and will spend the holidays alone with Keiko and the few families living along Taknes Bay. They've offered...

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A Miami marine park has asked the U.S. government for permission to capture Keiko, the whale of "Free Willy" fame, and put him on display. The National Marine Fisheries Services said Friday it received an application earlier this month from the Miami Seaquarium to transport Keiko from Norway, where he turned up this month in a fjord after making his way there from Iceland. The Seaquarium issued a news release Friday that said, in part: "Keiko is ... interacting with people, begging for fish and approaching boats with propellers that could severely harm him." Before the...

Well, at least he won't be shot. No, Keiko, the Free Willy whale, may still not know much about fending for his fat self, but the good people of Norway have looked into their good Norwegian hearts and decided not to give up on the blubbery blob and pump him full of lead. Before you ask, "Who would dare suggest making seafood of Keiko?" let's just tell you: Nils Oien. This week, the Norwegian whale expert suggested shooting the marine movie star as a humane way of ending what he sees as fruitless attempts to make Keiko a self-sufficient member...

While Keiko the killer whale frolicked in a western Norwegian fjord Tuesday, a local whale expert warned that Keiko may not survive the winter. If he doesn't attach himself from humans soon, it may be best to destroy him, he said.Niels Oeien of the Institute for Marine Reasearch in Bergen, who specializes in sea mammals, says Keiko may also represent a threat to Norway's major salmon breeding industry.'Reports are coming in now that the killer whale is disturbing fish farms within the Skaalvik Fijord,' Oeien told Aftenposten Multimedia. 'If there are more such episodes, he should be destroyed.'Oeien's remarks may...

Famous whale 'Keiko' swims into fjord The celebrity whale known as "Keiko," made famous in the movie "Free Willy," apparently swam into a Norwegian fjord over the weekend. He both startled and delighted a local family, while marine experts were jubilant. Experts are quite sure that the famous whale Keiko has found his way to Norway. Arild Birger Neshaug had a memorable boat trip on the Skaalvik Fjord on Norway's west coast Sunday. He, his daughter and two friends were out in his open boat when they suddenly found themselves accompanied by a playful whale that experts are convinced was...