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The Elegant Orca
For Thousands of year they swam the deep blue waters of this world in complete peace and safety, they lived in tight knit family groups that consisted of all the family members born within that group.
They develop one unique dialect of speech only used by members of their family and they can recognize their own family members from many miles away by their unique click, cries, and whistle's, they are indeed one of the most intelligent mammals on the face of this planet.
Many of us know the story of Keiko, the famous Orca Whale from the movie "Free Willy" But how many know the story behind the enchanting creature? How he came to be a captive of humans or the fight of the people around the world to return him to his family whom he was taken away from when he was but 18 months of age.
Yes he was removed from his loving family when he was only a baby, still learning to hunt on his own and still very dependent on his family members to teach him the many things he would need to learn in order to survive off the coast of Iceland.
A boat while out fishing for Herring the captain was also on the look out for a young Orca, he was offered thousands of dollars by someone in Canada for a young Orca, poor Keiko happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Orca's have learned to follow fishing boats around to as they know that they can get lots of herring that way, but the older whales have learned to stay away from the nets, the younger whales have not learned this and many are caught in manners like this. Many times they are released back to the waters but sometimes they are sold for a price.
For five years Keiko lived in Canada, he was the youngest whale in his tank and the other whales picked on him shunning him. Keiko became a shy whale because of this and after five years he was sold to a Park in Mexico where he was used to entertain the public.
While down in Mexico he was cast for the Part of Willy, he became an over night sensation and soon many people were demanding that he be released back to the wild. It was not as easy as everyone thought it would be.
Keiko having spent all his life in captivity could not survive the wild, he never learned to hunt for himself, he was too use to having all his needs provided by man, intense training would have to take place to teach Keiko to survive on his own.
Also while in Mexico many other things took place, Keiko's Tank was too small for him, causing him to become sick and weak. His fin on his back drooped from lack of exercise and his immune system was shutting down.
He had a rash on his body from the imitation salt water.
It was decided that he had to be moved before his health was endangered any further. But because of his immune system he could not be placed with other whale, there was no place to move him because of this.
Children all around the world started a fund "Free Willy Foundation" This organization and with the children around the world helped raised over a hundred thousand dollars for Keiko's release.
A site was found for Keiko in Organ but a new tank was going to have to be built. Through the efforts of Warner Bros, the Macaw foundations, the Human Society, Metal Toys, the United States Parcel Service, and the love and efforts of children all over the world funds were raised to build Keiko's new home.
Keiko spent two years in Organ, while there he regained much of his strength and was able to be moved to a much larger tank on the Coast of Iceland.
This new tank was built in a inlet in the ocean itself where Keiko would be able to hear other whales and learn to hunt, in this larger tank he would be able to build up his immune system once again and perhaps be able to recognize his families clicks.
Keiko is being cared for by Ocean Futures, which has been rehabilitating him for potential reintroduction into the wild since his arrival in Iceland in September of 1998.
External Anatomy:
Very tall, straight characteristic dorsal fin up to 6 ft. (1.8 m) in males
Jet black and pure white coloration
White patch behind each eye
Gray saddle patch behind dorsal fin
White chin, chest and sides
Large, paddle-shaped flippers
Robust, heavy, stocky body
Rounded head tapers to a point
Indistinct beak
Average adult body length: 6.7-8 m (males) 5.7-6.6 m (females)
Average body weight: 4-6.3 tons (males) 2.6-3.8 tons (females)
Geographical Distribution:
Widely distributed in all oceans and most seas, from the coast to the very deepest waters
Able to live, reproduce and feed throughout the year in either warm or cool waters
No regular patterns of migration
Movements occur due to ice cover in high latitudes and food availability elsewhere
HABITAT:
Adaptable to almost any conditions
Generally prefers deep water but is found in shallow bays, inland seas, and estuaries
FOOD & FEEDING:
One of the most varried diets of all cetateans
Prey include at least 24 species of cetaceans, five species of pinniped, dugong, 30 species of fish, seven species of bird and two specoes of squid, inaddition to a variety of other warm-blooded and cold-blooded sea creatures, such as turtles
Feeding dives to depths of less than 100m
Pods cooperate during a hunt
Pods tend to specialize and frequently ignore potential prey
LIFE CYCLE:
Reproductive characteristics have not been firmly established
Gestation lasts at least a year, perhaps several months longer
Calves born in fall and winter
Calves dependent for more than a year
Calving interval averages more than 2 years
BEHAVIOR:
Breaching, lobtailing, flipper-slapping and spyhopping common
Other behavior includes beach-rubbing, speed-swimming, logging and dorsal fin slapping
Can travel at up to 34 mph (55 km/h)
Travel in pods of 3-25 whales
Two or more pods may come together to form superpods of 150 or more whales
Members of pod stay together for life
Groups of closely related pods (known as clans) develop their own unique dialects
Highly inquisitive and approachable
WORLD POPULATION:
Total world population unknown
350 in Vancouver Island, Canada and Washington State
6618 in Iceland and Faeroese
289 in Shekilof Strait, Prince William Sound and southeastern Alaska
total of 324 individuals in Alaska
HUMAN INFLUENCES:
Captured by commercial whalers on regular basis
No fishery aimed at killer whalers has developed
Subjected to control measures because of their extensive diets
Keiko's Corner
The Orca Foundation
