"Free Willy" star turns up in whale-hunting Norway
Date: 09-Sep-02
Country: NORWAY
Author: Inger Sethov
The world's most famous orca, released into the wild just six weeks ago, turned up in a narrow Norwegian fjord this week, where he has made a splash with the locals and even allowed children to ride on his back.
Norwegians rushed to the Skaalvik fjord to see a playful Keiko put on a display for them, but some whale experts worried about his fate.
One even suggested putting him to sleep.
Millions of dollars have been spent on preparing the 10-metre (30-foot) animal for life in the wild after the 1993 movie "Free Willy" prompted a campaign for his release, but Keiko still seems to prefer human company.
One expert, Nils Oien at the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, said he thought Keiko would never be able to survive in the wild after spending almost his entire life in captivation.
"I think putting him to sleep would be an alternative," he told Norwegian national radio NRK, prompting a death threat from a U.S.-based animal rights activist.
Keiko showed up in western Norway after swimming some 1,400 km (870 miles) from an Icelandic sea pen following his release in July. He was spotted in the fjord on Sunday by two 12-year-olds fishing in a small rowing boat.
Norway, with long whaling traditions, resumed commercial hunting of whales in 1993, ignoring a global moratorium.
However, it only hunts the minke whale.
Dag Paulsen, a spokesman for the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, said authorities were looking into other options to ensure Keiko's well-being and he would not be killed.
"Putting him to sleep is not an issue at this point. The whale is not damaging in any way," he said, adding the only minor danger was that Keiko could damage the area's fish farms.
"The biggest problem is all the people gathering in the area," Paulsen said.
He said Norwegian authorities were talking to Keiko's monitoring team, which has tracked Keiko since he left Iceland, to decide whether to use food to lure him back to deep waters or find another fjord in western Norway away from the fish farms.
