Captured as a two-year-old calf off the coast of Iceland in 1979 by a fishing vessel, the killer whale who would become Keiko was soon sent to North America, struggling for many of his early years in captivity. Sent to live at an amusement park in Mexico City, the orca languished in a tank too small, in water too warm, and received an improper dietand was soon beset by a vicious skin virus. But after he starred in director Richard Donners hit film Free Willy in 1993, Keiko gained international celebrity as the most famous marine mammal in the world, as millions learned of his plight. With the help of a dedicated team of environmentalists led by the Earth Island Institute and $7.5 million from the deep pockets of eccentric cellular-phone billionaire Craig McCaw, he was rescued from his critical illness and installed in a $7.3-million facility in Oregon that was designed to prepare him for a return to the wild. In a move that would cause controversy within the scientific, environmental, and marine park communities, he ultimately would return to his native Iceland where a team of keepers would attempt to release him, making the cinematic story that had captivated the worlds children a reality.
Award-winning environmental writer Kenneth Brower has created a narrative that is by turns heartrending and exhilarating, re-creating the intricate, mesmerizing world of the sea in all its lushness. In bringing to life this unforgettable animal alongside the men and women who dedicated their lives to his return to the sea, Freeing Keiko illuminates much about human nature as well.
Praise for Kenneth Browers A Song for Satawal :
Like the work of Paul Gauguin and, perhaps, of Margaret Mead, this is a thoroughly romantic account, the product of an astral traveler-in-reverse who finds . . . more to marvel at than John Glenn ever did in space.
The New York Times Book Review

Kenneth Brower

United States, United States of America

October 20, 2005

0, PS, 2005

[curator]venus@archive.org[/curator][date]20111004134123[/date][state]approved[/state]

"Caught in the nets of a fishing vessel off the coast of Iceland in 1979, a small orca calf was hauled abruptly from the world of the sea into the world of man. Shipped across the Atlantic, he was trained in Canada as a performer, then sold to a Mexico City marine park. There he was named Keiko and became the headline attraction. High in the thin, dry air of the Sierra Madre, he languished for a decade in a tank too small, in water too warm, malnourished, stunted, and afflicted by a debilitating skin disease. Then Hollywood called. Keiko's starring role in the hit film Free Willy launched him to international fame. Fact followed fiction as calls came from around the world for the real "Willy" to be freed. A foundation was established in his name, its mission unprecedented: to rehabilitate a captive killer whale and return him to the wild." "In Freeing Keiko, nature writer Kenneth Brower takes us along on the whale's epic journey across thirty thousand miles, four nations, two oceans, and one sea. Keiko's foundation, funded by an eccentric billionaire, flew him to a custom-built aquarium in Oregon, where for two years he trained for a return home. Airlifted by the U.S. Air Force to Iceland, he spent four more years in preparation, first in a sea pen, then in an enclosed bay, and finally in excursions into open water. There, after a twenty-year absence, he would encounter his relatives again, and in 2002, in the company of wild whales, he bade farewell to humanity and swam to Norway. As Brower traces his odyssey, he explores the fascinating world of orcas - their deep intelligence, their intricate social structure, the teeming blue beauty of their ocean home. His is a tale, too, of human nature, for Keiko stirred up contention among us wherever he went: the animal-rights activists; the captive-whale industry; the animal communicators - all had contrary ideas on what was best for the whale. Keiko, full of surprises, confounded the expectations of each of these factions in turn."--Jacket

Captured as a two-year-old calf off the coast of Iceland in 1979 by a fishing vessel, the killer whale who would become Keiko was soon sent to North America, struggling for many of his early years in captivity. Sent to live at an amusement park in Mexico City, the orca languished in a tank too small, in water too warm, and received an improper diet-and was soon beset by a vicious skin virus. But after he starred in director Richard Donner's hit film <i>Free Willy</i> in 1993, Keiko gained international celebrity as the most famous marine mammal in the world, as millions learned of his plight.
<p>With the help of a dedicated team of environmentalists led by the Earth Island Institute and $7.5 million from the deep pockets of eccentric cellular-phone billionaire Craig McCaw, he was rescued from his critical illness and installed in a $7.3-million facility in Oregon that was designed to prepare him for a return to the wild. In a move that would cause controversy within the scientific, environmental, and marine park communities, he ultimately would return to his native Iceland where a team of keepers would attempt to release him, making the cinematic story that had captivated the world's children a reality.</p>
<p>Award-winning environmental writer Kenneth Brower has created a narrative that is by turns heartrending and exhilarating, re-creating the intricate, mesmerizing world of the sea in all its lushness. In bringing to life this unforgettable animal alongside the men and women who dedicated their lives to his return to the sea, Freeing Keiko illuminates much about human nature as well.</p>

Captured as a calf off the coast of Iceland in 1979, the killer whale who would become Keiko was soon sent to an amusement park in Mexico City, where he languished in a tank too small, in water too warm, received an improper diet--and was soon beset by a vicious skin virus. But after he starred in director the hit film Free Willy in 1993, Keiko gained international celebrity as the most famous marine mammal in the world. With the help of a dedicated team of environmentalists and the deep pockets of an eccentric billionaire, he was rescued and installed in a facility designed to prepare him for a return to the wild. He would ultimately return to his native Iceland where a team of keepers would attempt to release him, making the cinematic story that had captivated the world's children a reality.--From publisher description.

2023-06-28