Amazing orca.. born in 1977.. He was captured by a fishing boat.. Separated from his family... Then, dear beloved Keiko involved in Warner Bros. Studios begins filming the movie "Free Willy"..Keiko inspired millions of children to get involved in following his amazing odyssey and helping other whales. Keiko's journey also inspired a massive educational effort around the world and formed the basis for several scientific studies.
Unfortunatey, Keiko died in December 12, 2003... The trainers made a decision to release him to the ocean.. There were many objections and unsatisfaction occurs.. Some of the fans said, it was a wise decision because Keiko might felt free.. But some said, it was an inappropiate action to release him to the sea because he was in the captivity since he was a baby... Being with the trainers is like being home.. By releasing him to the ocean, has made him died alone...
He became the obsessions and inspired every nation on protecting killer whale and avoid animal abuse...
Here is the link of his timeline... http://www.keiko.com/history.html ... Keiko will always be my forever favourite and never be forgotten..
He was the biggest star and always be love by millions of people..
12/12/2007 genap lah 5 tahun pemergian Keiko,the Free Willy..
killer whale yg starring movie best Free Willy tu.
Kematian keiko ni jdkan byk percanggahan pendapat org ramai yg cintakan haiwan
ada yg tak puas hati laa sbb lepas keiko smula ke habitat asalnya
sbb dah lama sgt (sejak kecik) duk lam captivity..
papepun,sejak kecik ati membesar dgn cte Free Willy ni..
smpai bila2 pun xkan lupakan Keiko..
Sedih sungguh dia dah tiada..
ni ati paste sejarah Keiko sejak dia dijumpai,ditangkap oleh nelayan..
dan bacalah tentang betapa jauhnya perjalanan ikan paus ini...
This is the story of how a two-year-oldorca whale began an amazing journey that has spanned five countries andtens of thousands of miles.
1977 or 1978 - Keiko is born in the Atlantic Ocean near Iceland.
1979 - Keiko is captured by a fishing boat, separated from his family, and held in an Icelandic aquarium.
1982 - Marineland in Ontario, Canada buys Keiko, where he becomes a performing animal.
1985 - Marineland sells Keiko to Reino Aventura, an amusement park in Mexico City, for $350,000.
1992 - WarnerBros. Studios begins filming the movie "Free Willy" on location inMexico City. The plot involves a young boy saving a whale, portrayed byKeiko.
1993 - FreeWilly is a surprise hit at the theaters, especially with millions ofschool children around the world. That support, along with mediacoverage detailing Keiko's unacceptable living conditions in MexicoCity, prompts the movie studio, the park, and animal protectionadvocates to find Keiko a new home. Dr. Lanny Cornell comes on board asKeiko's lead veterinarian.
1994 - EarthIsland Institute, an environmental advocacy group for marine wildlife,begins the search for a location where Keiko can be brought back tohealth and trained for potential release to the wild. The Free WillyFoundation is formed in November with a $4 million donation from WarnerBros., and an anonymous donor.
1995 - TheMexico City amusement park donates Keiko to the Free Willy/KeikoFoundation. The foundation announces Keiko will be moved to a new, $7.3million rehabilitation facility at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. CraigMcCaw is revealed as the anonymous donors of $2 million, which helpedstart the Free Willy/Keiko Foundation. The Humane Society of the UnitedStates also becomes a sponsor.
1996 - UnitedParcel Service sponsors the airlifting of Keiko to the aquarium onJanuary 7. Weighing just 7,720 pounds, Keiko is placed in his new pooland experiences natural sea water for the first time in 14 years. Keikogains more than 1,000 pounds, and by year's end his skin lesions beginto heal. Keiko is featured on the cover of Life Magazine and in a popular documentary, The Free Willy Story, on the Discovery Channel. More than 2 million visitors come to see Keiko in Oregon.
1997 - Keiko'sstaff begins introducing him to live fish in an effort to teach him tohunt for food. His skin lesions have all disappeared and he isdetermined to be in excellent health. He catches and eats his firstlive fish in August. By June, Keiko weighs 9,620 pounds. The staff ofthe Free Willy/Keiko Foundation sets a goal of releasing Keiko into apen in the North Atlantic by 1998. After an intensive search andnegotiations with foreign governments the decision is made toreintroduce Keiko to the wild in Iceland.
1998 - Amedical panel determines that Keiko is healthy and exhibiting thenormal behavior patterns of a killer whale. Keiko is eating livesteelhead weighing from three to 12 pounds each, comprising up to halfof his daily intake of food. On September 9, Keiko is lifted from histank and transported by a US Airforce C-17 transport jet from Newportdirectly to Klettsvik Bay in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland.
1999 - Duringhis first full year back in his native Icelandic waters, Keiko, nowunder the day-to-day care of the Ocean Futures Society, continuestraining to prepare him for his potential reintroduction to the wild.An essential component of his program is moving his attention fromabove to below the surface of the water. In doing so, Keiko dependsless on his human caretakers and develops greater interest in hisnatural environment.
2000 - Keikois fitted for a tracking device that will allow staff to take him outto the open ocean. Keiko makes amazing progress during his sea "walks,"even beginning to interact with wild orcas in the vicinity of his seapen. His health and stamina improves as he comes closer to returning tohis wild ways.
2001 - Earlyin the year, Keiko exhibits behaviors consistent with wildwhales-competing with other animals for food. Keiko begins initiatingcontact with wild orcas in the vicinity and spends several days awayfrom his human companions. The primary challenge ahead is for Keiko tobegin maintaining himself on wild fish and regularly associating withwild orcas.
2002 - Onhis first day out of the netted bay pen in the summer of 2002, Keikoleaves the tracking boat and begins spending considerable time in thecompany of whales. He is monitored in and around groups of wild whalesfor the next three weeks. He then begins an epic journey coveringnearly 1000 miles across the North Atlantic, by the Faeroe Islands, andto the coast of Norway. The first observations of Keiko in Norwaydocument that he is in excellent physical condition. Keiko has been onhis own for close to 60 days without food from humans. His leadveterinarian, and a variety of other orca scientists, come to theconclusion that Keiko has successfully fed himself in the wild, a majormilestone in his journey to the wild.
Keiko follows a fishing boat inside a Norwegian fjord in the HalsaCommunity. He is an instant hit there with people coming fromthroughout Europe. Thousands of visitors come to see the friendlywhale. The Project staff work closely with the Norwegian government toput in place regulations to keep people from swimming with, feeding, or getting too close to Keiko.
Meanwhile, the Craig McCaw Foundation and Ocean Futures Society turnover the management of the project to the Free Willy Keiko Foundationand the Humane Society of the U.S. In December Keiko is walked to the Taknes bay staff continue to workwith and feed Keiko. For the first time ever, Keiko is in an area wherehe can come and go as he chooses. The Free Willy Keiko Foundation andthe Humane Society of the US continue to care for Keiko while allowinghis historic journey to the wild to move ahead. The Norwegian government gives its full support to the continued effort to give Keiko the chance to return to the wild.
2003 - December12, 2003 -- The Free Willy Keiko Foundation and The Humane Society ofthe United States (HSUS) reported today that Keiko, the orca whale,died today in the Taknes fjord, Norway, in the company of staff memberswho have been caring for him there.
Keiko's veterinarian believes that acute pneumonia is the most likelycause of death, though he also cited that Keiko was the second oldestmale orca whale ever to have been in captivity.
The two organizations managing Keiko's reintroduction effort expressedsadness at Keiko's death while also heralding his amazing journey.
Yesterday, Keiko exhibited signs of lethargy and lack of appetite.Consultation was continuous between his caretakers and Dr. Cornell. Hisbehavior was still abnormal this morning and his respiratory rate wasirregular, but, as is often the case with whales and dolphins in humancare, these were advanced signs of his condition. With little warning,Keiko beached himself and died in the early evening local time.A decade ago, Keiko was featured in the Hollywood movie, Free Willy,prompting a worldwide effort to rescue him from poor health, in anattempt to allow him to be the first orca whale ever returned to thewild.
In 1996 Keiko was flown aboard a United Parcel Service plane to a newrehabilitation facility in Newport, Oregon. There he was returned tohealth and trained in the skills necessary to be a wild whale. In late1998, Keiko was flown in a U.S. Air Force jet to a sea-pen in Iceland.In the summer of 2002, Keiko joined the company of wild whales and swamnearly 1000 miles to the Norwegian coast. Since then, Keiko has beencared for in a fjord where he was free to come and go by his own choice.
Keiko inspired millions of children to get involved in following hisamazing odyssey and helping other whales. Keiko's journey also inspireda massive educational effort around the world and formed the basis forseveral scientific studies. Thousands of people traveled to Norway inthe past year to see Keiko, continuing his legacy as the most famous whale in the world.
sedey baca kisah keiko.... puff pun nak cari laa citer free willy utk kenangn.....
Tapi kalo tgk cite tu mesti lagi sedey kalo teringat dia dah takde.. uwaaaaaa