Killing Keiko Read Free Page B

understand Keiko, the effort to return him to the wild, and the project’s outcome,
     three defining factors stand out above all others: 1. recognizing how learning occurs
     and behavior isinfluenced; 2. knowledge of what it means to work with a killer whale in a training
     environment; and 3. awareness of the distinctive traits of a killer whale. They are
     the only means by which decisions made throughout Keiko’s journey can be weighed against
     their impact on his behavior, his choices and the final outcome.
    Beyond a story about the invisible forces of nature and learning taking place on the
     high seas of the North Atlantic, this is more so the tale of one killer whale and
     his notorious journey to freedom. It is about a journey that spans four decades, encompasses
     the zoological and animal rights communities and epitomizes the evolution of public
     appreciation for the killer whale. Keiko’s story begins long before Hollywood uncovered
     an icon in
Free Willy
, or before children around the world recognized compassion.
    In order to understand the profound breadth of Keiko’s journey, it is necessary to
     begin with an understanding of the industry that created him and, ultimately, how
     philanthropists urged Keiko to follow in the footsteps of his fictitious counterpart,
     “Willy.”
Whale Killer
    Fifty years ago, the general perception of killer whales was that of maniac predators
     roaming the seas and ravaging anything in their path. Fisherman hated them for stealing
     bounty from their nets. Whalers hated them for devouring their catch as it was towed
     alongside their ships. The military used them for target practice from ships and in
     aerial simulations. This loathing, along with the public’s false impressions of the
     ocean’s top predator, vanished almost overnight following a series of unexpected events
     that unfolded in the mid 1960s.
    In 1964 a male killer whale named Moby Doll was harpooned by an expedition commissioned
     by the Vancouver Aquarium. They intended to kill the whale for skeletal fabrication
     and subsequent display in the aquarium. The whale was harpooned but did not die. Instead
     Moby Doll lived for eighty-seven days in a temporary Vancouver-based sea pen. In that
     short time, he became an international celebrity and attracted scientists and the
     public alike.
    In 1965 yet another encounter with a killer whale excited public attention. After
     a male killer whale had been caught in a gill net near Namu, British Columbia, aquarium
     owner Edward Griffin towed him over 450 miles in a makeshift sea pen to the Seattle
     Public Aquarium. Songs were written, and a movie titled
Namu, the Killer Whale
was made. Namu died there after only eleven months, believed to have succumbed to
     an infection from poor water quality. However, during this time he developed a relationship
     of sorts with Griffin and became the first live orca to perform in front of the public.
    Seemingly overnight, an industry was born. Killer whale collections for the purpose
     of public display began in Puget Sound. But by 1976, due to opposition from environmental
     factions and public sentiment promulgated by the death of five whales, collections
     in the Northwest were halted. Thus Icelandic waters became the next frontier for killer
     whale collection boasting larger populations, a capable shipping channel, and the
     indifference of a whaling nation.
    The ideal killer whale candidate for collection was usually between two and three
     years of age. But determining age was less than precise. Many animals much younger
     than two years old were taken. Following an initial acclimation period, graduate whales
     were transported to zoos and aquaria around the world. By the 1980s, “themed” animal
     parks were located on virtually every continent. Due in large part to unparalleled
     intimate exposure, the general public quickly gained an insatiable fascination with
     the killer whale.
    Science was only just