Keiko

Despite some confusion over his exact species, Keiko was a male killer whale born in the Atlantic Ocean near Iceland. He was captured in 1979 and spent several years in marine parks in Canada and Mexico before being selected for the film. His eventual rehabilitation focused heavily on returning him to his native Icelandic waters.

After starring in Free Willy, Keiko was moved to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon, in 1996. This multi-million-dollar facility was specifically built to help him recover from the severe health issues he developed while living in a tiny, warm pool in Mexico City. He lived there under close veterinary supervision until his transfer to Iceland in 1998.

The Free Willy Keiko Foundation, backed by millions of dollars in donations from the public and wealthy telecommunications benefactor Craig McCaw, funded his rescue. The effort cost over $20 million to construct his Oregon habitat and fund his sea-pen retraining in Iceland. It remains one of the most expensive and high-profile animal rescue operations in history.

While Keiko was successfully taught to hunt and eat live fish again, he never fully integrated into a wild pod of orcas. After being released from his sea pen in Iceland in 2002, he swam to Norway where he actively sought out human contact. He lived in a Norwegian fjord until his death from pneumonia later that year.