&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:KeikoOrcaFreeWillyDec98.jpg) Keiko at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in 1998 | |
| Other name(s) | Siggi Kago |
|---|---|
| Species | Orca (Orcinus orca) |
| Sex | Male |
| Born | c. 1976 |
| Died | 12 December 2003 (at the age of c. 27) Arasvikfjord, Norway |
| Notable role | Willy in Free Willy |
| Weight | 11,500 lb (5,200 kg)[1] |
| www | |
Keiko (c. 1976 – 12 December 2003) was a male orca captured in the Atlantic Ocean near Iceland in 1979. He was best 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. After years of preparing Keiko for reintegration, Keiko was flown to Iceland in 1998 and in 2002, became the first captive orca to be fully released back into the ocean. On 12 December 2003, he died of pneumonia in a bay in Norway at the age of 27.[2]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
IMMP-FAQ-2018-05-23was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Keiko the killer whale dies". NBC News. 13 December 2003. Retrieved 28 April 2024.