KEIKO THE KILLER WHALE UNHAPPY IN ICELAND WATERS
Reykjavik, Sept 13 AFP - A project to repatriate Keiko the killer whale, the lovable star of the Hollywood Free Willy movies, to his native Iceland waters one year ago has been a failure, a project spokesman admitted today.
Keiko, who was flown home to Iceland from Oregon almost exactly a year ago amid a huge media frenzy that garnered worldwide attention, has still not begun to swim in deep waters on his own and is incapable of hunting fish to feed himself.
He has remained in his special floating basin for the past year in the Klettsvik fjord, southeast of Reykjavik.
A year ago, hopes were high that Keiko, who is 22 years old, would be reunited with his mother. Male killer whales can live up to around 30 years, while females can live to be up to 90 years old.
"His re-adaptation to natural, or wild sea life is a total failure," said Hallur Hallson, a spokesman for the Free Willy support group which has financed Keiko's care since his retirement from Hollywood in 1996.
In his new-found freedom, Keiko has never tried to eat live fish -- he requires 100kg a day -- or play with other whales.
"And when his underwater cage was damaged in a bad storm Saturday, he didn't make a move to escape," Hallson added.
Killer whales can only survive in groups, and Keiko, who has failed to adapt to his natural environment, would therefore not be able to survive on his own, according to experts.
Jack Foster, an American responsible for Keiko's care, claims not to be disappointed despite the project's failure.
"It's all only a question of money", countered Jon Gunnarson, the man who originally captured Keiko and was paid one third the sum now spent to keep Keiko alive each month.
"And I think it's repugnant to think that American children are breaking open their piggy-banks to finance the captivity of this warted and ailing animal, who is incapable of attacking a baby herring, and who will never ever make it to the deep sea again."
CAMPAIGN HOPES TO `FREE WILLY' IN MID-2000
Stockholm, Sept 22 Reuters - Celebrity killer whale Keiko could be freed into the wild in mid-2000, according to the organisers of an campaign which returned him to his native Iceland exactly one year ago.
The five-tonne star of the first Free Willy movie was flown home from the United States and released into a floating pen in the remote Westman Islands as the first step to freedom.
Why shouldn’t we give this whale the freedom it wants and deserves? But what if he didn’t want it? Keiko had been in captivity for most of his life, he enjoyed preforming and was friendly to people epically kids, he was pretty much as domesticated as a whale can get. Animal right activist never took that in mind though as they forced him in rehabilitation to get him ready to join the wild, and while the media depict this as a magical and joyful experience for him it was actually very horrifying for the poor orca. The people who were trying to help him adjust to the wild had nothing but the best intentions and wanted to make the transition as smooth as possible, but they were often foiled by the activists who wanted him to be out free as soon as
Orca whales are the largest members of the dolphin family. Orcas are very curious creatures, they like to sky hop, which is when they poke their heads out of the water and look around, and they can also dive to as much as a hundred feet. These social animals live in pods and stay with them for their whole lives. They are so family oriented that they can may sleep together in a tight circle and have synchronized breathing. Orcas can grow up to thirty-two feet and can weigh nine tons. They typically eat five percent of their body weight and are amazing hunters. The lifespan of an orca in their natural habitat is about fifty years. This lifestyle for them is wonderful because they can swim as far as they want to and are free. Orcas should not be held captive because the capture process is dangerous, it is not good for their health, and their trainers are at risk. Free Willy. Dir Simon Wincer. 1993.Video. Warner Bros Home Video
The documentary follows an Orca by the name of Tilikum. Tilikum had been involved in three deaths, including a Marine Biologist named Dawn Brancheau, who was killed by Tilikum while performing with him. The film also highlights why keeping whales in captivity is dangerous and also touches on the death of Dawn Brancheau who was faulted for her own death due to her ponytail hanging low.
Kirby, David. Death at SeaWorld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2012. Print.
Eighteen years after starting scientific whaling in Antarctic waters, Japan presented a new program to the International Whaling Commission at the annual meeting in 2011. The proposal laid out Japan’s wishes to expand its annual catch of Antarctic minke whales from about 440 to 935, and expand lethal sampling to include an additiona...
Imagine seeing a majestic killer whale floating at the bottom of its pool—depressed. Tapping on the glass does not stir this gigantic friendly beast. Every once in a while she will make her whistling and calling noises. This killer whale, named Katina, and her infant killer whale was taken away from her (Kirby 43). Katina was separated from her new calf because the calf was acting out during shows. Kalina’s family pod was broken, leaving Katina alone and depressed in her pool. Katina would call out to her Kalina, but nothing would subdue her sadness (112). Killer whales should not be kept in captivity because captivity not only leads to aggressive behavior and emotional anguish of the whales, but also injuries, and furthermore deaths of the trainers.
"Blackfish" might not make an airtight case against training wild animals for our enjoyment, but it very convincingly argues that those animals remain what they are, no matter how SeaWorld or any other corporation invested in presenting them as cuddly attractions tries to say otherwise.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society "The Makah Whale Hunt" 02 Online. Internet 3 Febuary 2003. Available www:seashepherd.org/media_info/asp.
“… building a tank the size of Rhode Island wouldn’t be large enough for a six-ton male killer whale such as Tilikum, an animal capable of swimming 100 miles a day,” states an anonymous whale expert. Whales have been in captivity since 1861 when P.T. Barnum displayed the first live whale that was captured in Canada. However, Barnum had no idea how to care for the mammal and it died after only a week in captivity. (Animal Legal and Historical Center, 2014) Being up close with killer whales could give us some clues about how they interact with each other, including physical behavior, their dialect, and how their pods work together as a family unit. However, what we are finding is that whales who belong in the wild are suffering in captivity. Killer whales have no record of ever harming a human being in the wild. In captivity, there have been many incidents of killer whales harming or even killing their trainers. What would cause them to do this in captivity, but not in the wild? They have been known to resort to aggression toward themselves and each other, in what scientist believe to be a stress induced behavior. (Animal Legal and Historical Center, 2014) Evidence against having these wild animals in captivity is increasing and we need reevaluate the value of capturing and holding killer whales for our educational purposes, enjoyment, and profit.
Orcinus orca is the scientific name for the massive marine mammal. Orcas are not rare, but have declining numbers in some areas (Martin.) Orcas are found from the Artic Ocean to the Antartic Ocean. (Britannica) They belong to the Delphinidae, or dolphin family, which is the largest of their species. Female orcas grow to be at the most 15 feet, and weigh up to 4 tons, but the males can grow as large as 20-30 feet, and weight up to 8 tons. (Martin) The color of the orca is white in some spots, black on the majority of the body, and gray just behind the dorsal fin. It is white on the chin, belly and the eye. The white patch above the eye is usually mistaken for the eye, and may confuse their prey, but acts as a camouflage for the eye. The name “killer whale” makes people tend to believe that this is a viscious man-eating mammal, yet it is one of the most shrewd, docile and playful species of the marine mammals. The orca is sexually mature at 10-15 years of age, much like humans, which is 12-13 years of age. They tend to mate year round, and is able to have a calf every two years. It is interesting to know that lactation of the mother lasts 12 or more months (Wynne.) The life expectancy of orcas is 45-50 years of age.
In the world today, we know that whales are majestic creatures with amazing lifestyles that we don’t completely understand. We also know that however large they are, they are in danger because they have been over hunted and over used by human beings. Today through Commercial Whaling, the whales of the oceans have been put at risk and their population continues to decrease. Countries such as Japan, Iceland, and Norway defy the rules set by The International Whaling Commission under the pretense that they’re whaling for scientific reasons, when in reality they are whaling for commercial reasons of profit. Commercial whaling is a problem in countries around the world, most prominent are the Japanese, and other countries are Iceland and Norway. Over time the status of the whale population has declined because of the increase of technology in whale hunting.
The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) has had a slow recovery since the cessation of commercial...
When attempting to answer this question one must first analyze the poem. "Desert Places" is a poem told by a third person observer who initially is focusing on a snowy field. In the third line Frost states, "And the ground almost covered smooth in snow." This starts to paint the image of an empty field being covered by more and more snow. Towards the end of the poem Frost makes reference to the stars. Space between stars is perhaps the biggest empty space we can begin to comprehend. "Desert Places" are demonstrated through the use of a snowy field and outer space. This is the obvious observation but the poem seems to be referring to much more. In line eight the poem Frost writes, "The Loneliness includes me unawares." Albert J. Von Fronk makes an interesting observation in saying, "The poet notes that he, too, is "absent-spirited"; he, too, is "included" in the loneliness." It is not just the animals and snowy field the speaker is accusing of being lonely but them self as well. The field seems to be a metaphor for the speaker's loneliness.
Killer whales live in almost every ocean. Though they are often found in cold, coastal waters, killer whales can be found from the polar regions to the Equator. The killer whale is a carnivor. These different groups may prey on different animals and use different techniques to catch them. Killer whales hunt in deadly pods which consist of family groups of up to 40 individuals. They feast on marine mammals such as seals, sea lions, and even other whales. There are two kinds of Killer whales, the resident and the transient. Resident pods prefer fish, while transient pods catch marine mammals. All pods use effective, cooperative hunting techniques that some liken to the behavior of wolf packs . While hunting like wolves, killer whales could surround a school of salmon and even overwhelm a larger whale (National Geographic). One killer whale was even reported to have even traveled some 177 km up the Columbia River in search of fish In the Arctic, killer whales eat about 67% fishe, 27% marine mammals and 6% squid. In the Bering Sea near Alaska, they eat about 65% fishe, 20% squids and 15% marine mammals (Marine Bio).
Another aspect of pastoral ministry is that every pastor is unique. God has gifted each pastor differently and with his own style. It is imperative that a pastor use the gifts that he has to bear witness about Christ. It is also important to preach Christ and not self. It is crucial that a pastor understand who he is, accept himself, and to develop the gifts given by God. Too often, preachers compare themselves to others and envy what they do not have. That is dangerous and sinful. One must accept the gifts given by God and to use them for His glory.