Free Willy whale 'may never be released'

Keiko, the Orca whale who starred in Free Willy, may never be freed, claim the mammal's carers.

Despite more than 60 trips out of his pen into open seas, Keiko is showing reluctance to rejoin wild Orca whale pods near his home in the Westman Islands, south Iceland.

Because he has been in captivity for most of his life, Keiko would seem to be addicted to mankind, his carers said.

Now time and money are running out for the Orca whale, as a salmon farm is to be installed next to his pen in Klettsvik Bay, which could cause him health problems.

"It is possible that Keiko never will be free," said Jeff Foster, director of operations and field research for Ocean Futures, the California-based organisation overseeing Keiko.

"If we had another clear year with which to work with, he would be integrating more and more. But there are factors that might not make this possible.

"Now, this season, there is such a limited window available. The autumn weather will be closing in in around three weeks and that is the time when the wild Orca whales leave the area."

Mr Foster said that Keiko would stay in Klettsvik Bay during the winter and would probably be moved to another site in the spring.

"Ideally we would like to keep him in Iceland, for genetic purity, but the infrastructure here may not make that possible," he said.

"Before we came to Iceland, we looked at other sites in Ireland, Scotland, the Hebrides and the Orkneys. It is possible he will be moved to one of these sites, or elsewhere in Europe."

Keiko, which means "Lucky One" in Japanese, was captured in Icelandic waters in 1979 when he was around two years old.

He was sold to Reino Aventura amusement park in Iceland in 1985.