December 12, 2003 saw the death of Keiko, an Orca whale, off the coast of Finland. Keiko achieved fame as a star in what movie series?
Keiko (orca) animals that are in captivity." In 2010 the film "" was released. In 2013 a New York Times video, "The Whale Who Would Not Be Freed", included interviews about Keiko's only partly successful return to the ocean. Keiko (orca) Keiko (earlier Siggi and Kago), ( September 24, 1976 – December 12, 2003), was a male orca who portrayed Willy in the 1993 film "Free Willy". He was eventually freed in Iceland, in July 2002, but did not fully adapt to the wild and died in December 2003 in Norway. Keiko was captured near Reyðarfjörður, Iceland in 1979 and sold to
Keiko (orca) fed during his 900-mile (1500 km) journey to Norway from Iceland. Keiko occasionally approached groups of wild killer whales, but remained on the periphery, at distances of 100–300 meters, with his head pointing toward the closest orca. Keiko died in Taknes Bay, Norway, while swimming in the fjords on December 12, 2003, at about 27 years of age. Pneumonia was determined as his probable cause of death. Most sources conclude that the project to free Keiko was a failure because this whale failed to adapt to life in the wild. In Norway, Keiko had little contact with other orcas and