Plans are to lead keiko out for walks to build up his stamina, and to feed him when he wants to be fed Keiko, a genus orca whale, was born in 1976 and captured off the coast of iceland in 1979 Otherwise, he is free to roam the north atlantic whenever he wishes.
Keiko Kitagawa - Profile Images — The Movie Database (TMDB)
Keiko, the real whale behind the movie, lived out that question
His journey stretched from small tanks to worldwide fame and a bold rescue mission that aimed to change the way people viewed.
See rare free willy set photos—and learn the real story of keiko, the whale behind willy. Keiko lived five years in his native waters as opposed to staying in a tiny tank in mexico, where he was visibly dying Although he didn’t reintegrate with other orcas, he had freedom and had his basic survival needs met. Behind the cinematic tale of a boy helping a captive killer whale return to the wild was keiko, an actual orca living in captivity whose life would eventually mirror the movie’s plot in an unprecedented $20 million rehabilitation and release effort.
On december 12, 2003, the free willy/keiko foundation and the humane society of the united states reported that keiko, the orca whale, died in the taknes fjord, norway, in the company of staff members who had been caring for him there.
