Keiko's Story

When Svenni, our convenience store clerk/Puffin tour guide, was driving us around the island of Heimay, he made a point to stop at a particular nook of the main harbor where he regaled us with an interesting (albeit tragic) anecdote about one of the world's most famous whale's. The story stuck with me, so I'm sharing it with you. Keiko was a great Killer Whale, born wild in Icelandic waters in the 1970s. After being caught by a fishing boat as a youngster, transported to North America and doing a stint at Canada's Marineland, Keiko was selected by Hollywood producers to fill the title role in "Free Willy" (I know y'all cried at that movie, so don't act like you've never heard of it). No one knew quite what to do with Keiko after the film's release, so in 1998 the Icelandic government decided to purchase back the giant Orca, reintroduce him to his natural habitat and eventually set him free. This was a mammoth task, and ridiculously expensive, because Iceland had to enlist a U.S. Airforce Hercules plane to move the whale all the way to Heimay. Part of the harbor was sectioned off and whale-proofed to ensure that Keiko would have plenty of space to move around, but also so that he wouldn't be able to escape until he was strong, healthy and acclimated to his surroundings. Everything progressed swimmingly, and by 2002 Keiko, fitted with a tracking device, was released to the wild. He followed a fishing boat to Norway, where he instantly earned fame amongst locals and tourists alike. His friendly disposition and comfort around humans made him a hit with tour boats off the Norwegian coast. But the icy waters did not agree with Keiko, and after a year of freedom the whale succumbed to pneumonia. I'm sorry if this story totally bums you out, and also because it's not that relevant to our travels, but for some reason it just tugged at my heart strings. These are some pictures of Keiko's old house.