SKAALVIKFJORD, Norway (2 Sep 2002) -- Keiko, the world-renowned orca ambassador for why humans should leave wildlife alone, has turned up in a fjord in Norway where Norwegians are doing everything but leaving him alone. According to local newspapers in Norway, which hunts whales commercially, Norwegians are petting, feeding and riding the Free Willy star, exactly what Keiko's doctor did not order. Dr. Lanny Cornell, Keiko's veterinarian and an expert with more than 30 years of experience with orca whales told CDNN that Keiko appears to be healthy but the Humane Society (HSUS), which has taken over funding of the Keiko project, described the events in Norway as a major setback in the $20 million effort to reintroduce Keiko to the wild. "We are appealing to all boaters to avoid Keiko and give him all the space he needs to be fully self-sufficient," said Paul Irwin of the HSUS. Keiko (which means "Lucky One" in Japanese) was captured off the coast of Iceland in 1979 at the age of two and spent most of his life in captivity performing for tourists in Canada and Mexico. The 1993 film "Free Willy" sparked a campaign to free Keiko who was rescued from a small tank in an amusement park in Mexico City in 1996 and flown to Oregon where his rehabilitation started. "OK, I'm wild now. What next?" | | Keiko's happy, the kids are happy, Free Willy project staff are NOT happy. In 1998, Keiko was airlifted to Iceland where a team of orca experts taught him to catch fish. In early July this year, Keiko finally left his handlers behind and swam with wild whales briefly returning to his pen to feed in mid-July. On July 29, Keiko left the group of wild whales off Iceland and started swimming east. One thousand miles and a month later, Keiko followed a Norwegian fishing vessel into a small harbor in Norway where locals started feeding and playing with him before project staff could get to the area. Staff are now in the area monitoring Keiko's condition and educating locals to leave him alone so that he can become self-sufficient. Critics of the project have expressed concern that Keiko cannot forage on his own, cannot dive as deeply as other whales and will slowly starve to death in the wild. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORKSCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
