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Keiko is home
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| Keiko swims after arriving home | |
Web posted at: 8:28 a.m. EDT (1228 GMT)
Interactive:
WESTMAN ISLANDS, Iceland (CNN) -- For the first time since his capture off Iceland in 1979, the killer whale made famous by the "Free Willy" movies is swimming in a natural habitat in Icelandic waters.
Keiko arrived home about 10 a.m. (6 a.m. EDT) Thursday, after an eight-hour ride aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster cargo plane.
Keiko had a good, uneventful ride and slept much of the way in a special water pen, where his handlers placed him before his Wednesday departure from the Oregon Coast Aquarium, Diane Hammond of the Free Willy Keiko Foundation told CNN.
"We're thrilled that we got him home. This is a really historic moment for this project," she said.
Keiko entered his new home -- a pen the size of a football field, situated in a bay -- about noon (8 a.m. EDT).
The pen is his first big step toward permanent freedom.
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Orca I.Q.: How fast they go and other things to know Interactive Map: Trace Keiko's travels during captivity Keikology: How much do you know about Keiko and his deep-water cohorts? Image Gallery: Up close and personal with the "Free Willy" star 
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Keiko will spend at least the next several months in the 250-foot-long, 100-foot-wide pen before trainers determine if he can be released into the open sea. It's possible they'll keep him in there for the rest of his life.
Hammond said Keiko has a lot of adapting to do before his handlers are satisfied about his ability to survive in the wild.
No killer whale has ever been released back into the wild, she said.
But Hammond noted that Keiko, who has previously suffered from poor health, has consistently beat the odds.
"He's a good strong animal. He's surprised us at every turn," she said.
Keiko could significantly increase his chance for survival in the wild by linking up with an orca group, called a pod. Hammond said the bay that serves as his new home is populated by orcas about six months out of every year.
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| Handlers prepare to put Keiko in the water after his long journey | |
"Once he's in the day pen ... he'll be able to interact with wild whales by vocalizing," Hammond said, referring to the whale's ability to communicate with other marine life.
"So we're hoping he'll be able to strike up a conversation and ultimately a relationship with some of the killer whales that pass by ... and ultimately, if he's capable, one of those pods might adopt him," she told CNN.
Keiko was captured nearly 20 years ago and has lived in captivity ever since, having been moved from Iceland to Canada to Mexico. In 1993, he gained international exposure from the movie "Free Willy," the story of a boy who helps a captured whale escape from an amusement park. The movie was a surprise hit, and Keiko developed a large following, especially among children.
A subsequent Life magazine article pointed out his health problems and the inadequate facility in Mexico City, and a search for a better home began. It resulted in his 1996 move to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, where a special pool was built for him. Since then, Keiko has learned how to eat live fish again and has added about 2,000 pounds.
Earlier this year, Keiko was medically cleared and deemed healthy enough for his move back to Iceland.
