Keiko (c. 1976 – 12 December 2003) was a male orca captured in the Atlantic Ocean near Iceland in 1979, and widely known for his portrayal of Willy in the 1993 film Free Willy. In 1996, Warner Bros. and the International Marine Mammal Project collaborated to return Keiko to the wild.

1993 - Keiko, still in Mexico, listens to calls made by Southern Resident orcas with great interest. Photo by Ken Balcomb, Center for Whale Research. Anthropologists tell us that the stories we tell shape our perceptions of the world.

2023年7月19日 · Based on documented diving behavior and his healthy and robust condition on his arrival in Norway, Keiko’s veterinarian and leading orca scientists concluded that he successfully fed himself over that distance, a major milestone on his journey back to the wild.

Watch how Keiko, the orca star of the hit film Free Willy, became the first captive orca to be successfully returned to his ocean. From capture to stardom to rehabilitation, from seapen to daily outings with caretakers, experience how Keiko gained over 3000 lbs, mixed it up with wild orcas, and even exhibited physical signs of attempts to mate ...

2024年3月29日 · Keiko was a male orca captured in the Atlantic Ocean near Iceland in 1979 as a 2-year-old. He was sold to the Icelandic Aquarium in Hafnarfjörður soon after. At the time, he was named Siggi,...

2018年5月23日 · Keiko was the second oldest male orca who’d ever lived in long-term captivity. Keiko is the only long-term captive orca who has ever been given the chance to return to his native waters. Would it have been better to leave Keiko in captivity?

Keiko, a male orca (orcinus orca) originally captured in 1979 from a pod in Iceland, lived in Oregon for less than three years. During that time he became one of Oregon’s best-known celebrities and a major attraction at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport.

The first in-depth cinematic look at the life and legend of the “Free Willy” star, “Keiko The Untold Story” goes behind the scenes of the controversial release in 1998 of the first and only orca released into the wild after being held for years in captivity.

Watch how Keiko, the orca star of the hit film Free Willy, became the first captive orca to be successfully returned to his ocean. From capture to stardom to rehabilitation, from seapen to daily outings with caretakers, experience how Keiko gained over 3000 lbs, mixed it up with wild orcas, and even exhibited physical signs of attempts to mate ...

2023年12月12日 · On this day, 20 years ago, Keiko the Orca , star of the 'Free Willy' movies, died in his home of Taknes fjord, in Norway. The story of Keiko is a fascinating and tragic one. The...