The Long Way Home
from RTÉ - Mooney Documentaries Hosted by RTÉ:Ireland
This documentary charts Keiko's journey from a Mexico city amusement part to the Westman islands in Iceland where he is preparing for freedom - on his way back home. Presented and produced by Derek Mooney
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Keiko (1976 - December 12, 2003) was a male orca who starred in the three Free Willy movies, and was perhaps the most famous of captive orcas. Keiko was captured near Iceland in 1979 and sold to the Icelandic aquarium in Hafnarfjörður. Three years later, he was sold to Marineland in Ontario, where he first started performing for the public. He was then sold to Reino Aventura an amusement park in Mexico City, in 1985. The plan to return him to the wild was a topic of much controversy. Keiko died from pneumonia in Taknes Bay, Norway while under the care of personnel from Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society on December 12, 2003. He had become lethargic, had a loss of appetite and died at 27 years of age. Presented and produced by Derek Mooney An Irish radio documentary from RTÉ Radio 1, Ireland - Documentary on One - the home of Irish radio documentaries
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