Willy reluctant to be free

REYKJAVIK, AUG. 20. Keiko the killer whale, who leapt to freedom and fame in the ``Free Willy'' films, is fighting a real-life battle against time to adjust to life in the open sea.

Biologists are racing to wean the shy 23-year-old whale away from his reliance on humans and teach him to hunt and socialise with wild killer whales, or orcas, before they migrate from Keiko's home in a rocky Icelandic bay.

Keiko has made forays into the ocean to meet a pod of passing orcas and has made some progress, but after 21 years in captivity he lacks the social skills to be accepted. Dejected, he always returns to his keepers' boats.

``He's something of a shy person in a room full of strangers,'' Mr. Jeff Foster, director of field operations for the non-profit group Ocean Futures, told Reuters.

``If we only knew what's going on in his head. Basically he seems to come back every time after he's been in contact with the other whales. Why that happens is difficult to say.''

``Free Willy'' depicts a young boy saving a killer whale from an evil marine park owner. Keiko's fate seems more ironic every day he chooses to stay close to humans.

Killer whales live and travel in pods, following the migration patterns of the herring on which they feed. Keiko has made friends with a visiting pod this summer, but they are likely to swim away again in late August.

- Reuters

(Pic. caption: Keiko, a 5-tonne killer whale best known for his appearance in the ``Free Willy'' films, is lowered into his new pen in Icelandic waters for the first time since his capture 19 years before, in this Sept. 10, 1998 file picture.)

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Section  : International
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