Norwegians ponder how to save Keiko

OSLO, Norway — A Norwegian whale expert's suggestion that Keiko the killer whale, star of the "Free Willy" movies, might have to be shot has outraged activists and the team that helped return the orca to freedom.

Keiko appeared in a western Norway fjord over the weekend, six weeks after being released from a pen in Iceland where experts had spent years trying to prepare him for life in the wild.

The orca was an instant hit in Skaalvik Fjord. Children swam with the whale, some even climbing on his back, and small boats crowded around for a glimpse of the finned Hollywood star.

However, a leading whale expert, Nils Oien, shocked Keiko's fans and other experts by saying the orca, used to life in captivity, had little chance of surviving a winter in the cold western fjords and might have to be shot.

"Then it would be better to put him to death," Oien said in an interview broadcast by state radio NRK. He could not be reached for more comment today.

Animal officials and activists quickly denounced the suggestion, saying it would be unthinkable for Keiko to be shot and it was up to people to help him survive.

Keiko is probably the world's most famous whale after his starring role in the three "Free Willy" films that were released in the 1990s, as well as a brief animated series shown on television.

Keiko had to swim nearly 870 miles to reach the fjord, which is about 250 miles northwest of the capital, Oslo.

"It is clear that Keiko is having trouble with life in the wild," Jan Einarsen, director on the Atlanterhavsparken aquarium in western Norway, said. "He needs help."

Einarsen, who went to see the orca Monday and yesterday, agreed that Keiko might not be able to survive the winter on his own but said people could provide him with food and companionship, perhaps in some remote area.

"There are not many solutions," he said by telephone. He said the groups that led the campaign to return Keiko to the wild — Ocean Futures Society and the Humane Society of the United States — must come up with a plan quickly.

He also noted that the government of the Scandinavian nation of 4.5 million people now has jurisdiction over Keiko and should cooperate with any rescue attempts.

Dag Paulsen, a spokesman the Norwegian Fisheries Ministry, said killing Keiko was not an option. Instead, agency officials are consulting U.S. researchers who are familiar with the whale.

"According to the information we have from them, it should be possible to coax the whale out of the coastal area in a humane and effective way by using food," he said.

Keiko, which means "Lucky One" in Japanese, was captured near Iceland in 1979 when he was two and spent most of his life in captivity in Canada and Mexico. His appearance in the 1993 film "Free Willy" and two sequels led to a campaign to free him.

"We think people have to take responsibility for what they have done to Keiko by holding him in captivity," said Siri Relling of the Norwegian Federation for Animal Protection. "Let Keiko have a fjord. It's better to have a large fjord than a small aquarium."