Keiko: Top news

“Free Willy” Paved the Way to Ending Whale Captivity (Part 2 of 3)

May 24, 2023

Part 2 of our report looks at the impact of the documentary "Blackfish" and the successful efforts by the International Marine Mammal Project to end SeaWorld's breeding, imports and exports of orcas, making the current generation the last orcas in captivity in North America.
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Topics: Captivity Industry, Dolphin and Whale Trade, Keiko, Orcas, Sanctuaries

“Free Willy” Paved the Way to Ending Whale Captivity (Part 1 of 3)

May 10, 2023

30 years ago, the movie "Free Willy" was a huge hit. The plight of its orca star, Keiko, touched the public along with the moving story. Read how the International Marine Mammal Project took that spark of concern and returned Keiko to his home waters. SeaWorld and other captive dolphin parks would never be the same!
Read More >

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Topics: Captivity Industry, Dolphin and Whale Trade, Keiko, Orcas, Sanctuaries, SeaWorld

The Sad Death of Kiska, the World’s Loneliest Orca

May 03, 2023

The last captive orca in Canada, Kiska, has died, after being kept alone for twelve years at the notorious MarineLand park in Niagara Falls. If Tokitae (Lolita) goes home to a seaside sanctuary, the only North American captive orcas will be those in SeaWorld's three parks.
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Topics: Captivity Industry, Keiko, Orcas, Sanctuaries, SeaWorld, MarineLand

BBC Interviews David Phillips About Keiko Rehab and Release

Apr 05, 2023

2023 is the 30th anniversary of the release of "Free Willy", the film that popularized the issues raised by keeping orcas in captivity in small concrete tanks. Dave Phillips, who spearheaded the rehabilitation and release of Keiko, the orca star of the movie, speaks to the BBC about the successful (and so far only) release of a captive orca.
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Topics: Captivity Industry, Dolphin and Whale Trade, Keiko, Orcas

BREAKING NEWS: Agreement Reached to Launch Relocation of Captive Orca Whale Tokitae to a Seaside Sanctuary in Her Home Waters

Mar 30, 2023

Plans are in place to bring Tokitae (also known as Lolita) back to her home waters in a seaside sanctuary in the Pacific Northwest. Read about the extraordinary group of people and organizations bringing this about. David Phillips discusses the implications.
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Topics: Captivity Industry, Keiko, Orcas, Rehabilitation, Release, Sanctuaries, Lolita, Tokitae, Miami Seaquarium

Sanctuaries for Retirement: Hope For Captive Orcas, Belugas and Dolphins

Mar 22, 2023

New seaside sanctuaries for dolphins and whales are open or in the process of being built -- providing a great, expansive home for captive and stranded cetaceans. The expense is high, but the results are well worth the price.
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Topics: belugas, Captivity Industry, Dolphin and Whale Trade, Dolphins, Keiko, Orcas, Rehabilitation, Release, Sanctuaries

40 Years of Saving Whales and Dolphins

Feb 16, 2022 |

Photo Credit: Mark J. Palmer

For 40 years, the International Marine Mammal Project has been working to protect whales, dolphins, and their ocean homes.
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Topics: Bans, Legislation, belugas, Captivity Industry, Cetacean Habitat, Dolphin and Whale Trade, Dolphin Safe Tuna, Dolphins, Entanglement, International Whaling Commission, Keiko, Plastic Pollution, Sanctuaries, Taiji, Japan, Whales, Whaling, Marine Protected Areas

The Keiko Story by Best-Selling Author Susan Orlean

Dec 15, 2021

Best-selling author Susan Orlean has a new book out, "On Animals", including a great chapter about Keiko, the orca star of "Free Willy", who really was set free.
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Topics: Captivity Industry, Iceland, Keiko, Orcas, Sanctuaries

Kiska: Plight of the Loneliest Orca in the World

Nov 03, 2021 |

Photo Credit: Dr. Ingrid Visser, Orca Research Trust

Kiska has been alone in her tank for fourteen years, languishing in MarineLand Park in Canada. She should be moved to a seaside sanctuary with other orcas.
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Topics: Captivity Industry, Keiko, Orcas

REMINDER: Join Us for Orca Hour: From “Free Willy” to SeaWorld 8/27/20

Aug 26, 2020 | By Mark J. Palmer

Our Orca Hour virtual presentation features Earth Island's David Phillips and Sumona Manjumdar in a lively discussion of how Keiko, the orca star of "Free Willy", was successfully rescued, rehabilitated and released into his home waters, leading to our landmark lawsuit against the false statements of SeaWorld.
Read More >

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Topics: Captivity Industry, Keiko, Orcas

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Campaign Top News

International Marine Mammal Project >

• 2023 International Marine Mammal Project Accomplishments
  From the cold reaches of the Russian coast, to Japan's notorious Cove, to global tuna fleets, to Barataria Bay, to the concrete tanks of SeaWorld - the International Marine Mammal Project had key accomplishments for whales and dolphins, thanks to your support!
  Dec 20, 2023 |

  OPS

• Identifying the Cetaceans of the World
  There's a lot of whale and dolphin jargon out there. Here's some explanations about what we know about cetaceans.
  Dec 13, 2023
• Stopping Our March Towards An Unlivable World
  The damages of global warming are already here, and worse is to come. Can COP28 overcome national resistance and lobbying from the oil industry to adopt real solutions to global warming, including an equitable phase-out of the burning of fossil fuels?
  Dec 06, 2023
• More Stories >

Save Japan Dolphins >

• Taiji: The End of Dolphin Slaughter Season
  The Taiji dolphin slaughter was as horrendous as always, but the numbers of dolphins being killed and captures continues to decline. Can we end the dolphin hunts for good?
  Mar 06, 2024
• Declines of Taiji Dolphin Populations Confirmed
  A recent analysis by scientists, adopted by the IWC Scientific Committee, shows what many opponents of the Taiji dolphin hunts have feared -- the hunts are depleting several dolphin species along the coast of Japan, leading the dolphin hunters to go after other species, while still killing the depleted species.
  Nov 01, 2023
• Taiji's Annual Dolphin Slaughter Has Started: Why it Must End For Good
  The Taiji dolphin hunts are well underway, with a pod of bottlenose dolphins recently herded into the notorious Cove. The Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission is warning that some dolphin species are declining.
  Sep 27, 2023
• More Stories >

Dolphin + Whale Project >

• Ending Plastic Pollution: Inside the Negotiations for the UN Plastics Treaty
  Negotiations are going forward with the United Nations in Ottawa this week for a treaty addressing the global wave of plastic pollution. But will it work?
  Apr 24, 2024
• Video: The Deadly Danger of Mining the Ocean Floor
  With our oceans suffering from onshore pollution, oil drilling, and acidification associated with global warming, do we really need to add mining the seabed?
  Mar 27, 2024
• Whales Through the Lens of Photo Identification
  Scientists have developed new methods of studying dolphins and whales that don't harm the animals. One way to study whale numbers is to identify each individual in a population. Here's where photo identification comes into play.
  Feb 21, 2024
• More Stories >

Keiko Whale Rescue >

• Orca Tokitae (Also Known as Lolita) Passes On
  We are deeply saddened at the death of orca whale Tokitae. Calls for her release were denied for decades and it’s shameful that she never got a chance to go home.
  Aug 23, 2023 |

  Tokitae (also known as Lolita) has died. Photo Credit: Dr. Ingrid Visser, Orca Research Trust

• “Free Willy” Paved the Way to Ending Whale Captivity (Part 1 of 3)
  30 years ago, the movie "Free Willy" was a huge hit. The plight of its orca star, Keiko, touched the public along with the moving story. Read how the International Marine Mammal Project took that spark of concern and returned Keiko to his home waters. SeaWorld and other captive dolphin parks would never be the same!
  May 10, 2023
• The Sad Death of Kiska, the World’s Loneliest Orca
  The last captive orca in Canada, Kiska, has died, after being kept alone for twelve years at the notorious MarineLand park in Niagara Falls. If Tokitae (Lolita) goes home to a seaside sanctuary, the only North American captive orcas will be those in SeaWorld's three parks.
  May 03, 2023
• More Stories >

Dolphin Safe Fishing >

• Staff Spotlight: Meet Trixie Concepcion, the Director of the Asia-Pacific Dolphin Safe Monitoring Program
  For more than 30 years, Trixie Concepcion and her staff have worked to protect dolphins and other marine life in the Philippines, monitoring tuna fishing in the Western and Central Pacific Oceans to ensure the tuna is caught by Dolphin Safe methods, saving the lives of tens of thousands of dolphins annually.
  Feb 15, 2023
• The Tuna Dolphin Tragedy
  The history of the drowning of millions of dolphins by the tuna industry turned a corner in 1990, when US tuna giants agreed to work with the International Marine Mammal Project to establish Dolphin Safe fishing standards that avoid harm to dolphins and other marine life.
  Mar 02, 2022
• IMMP Supports CCTV Onboard Tuna Vessels to Ensure Dolphin Safe
  In order to better monitor tuna vessels to ensure no dolphins are netted or harmed, the International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute is supporting placing closed circuit television (CCTV) aboard tuna vessels.
  Sep 22, 2021
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Freeing Orca Whales from Captivity >

• Premature Deaths Continue for Captive Whales
  Orcas, beluga whales, and other cetaceans do poorly in sterile concrete tanks. A spate of premature deaths of orcas in facilities around the world underscores why captivity should end!
  May 01, 2024
• 42 Organizations Urge France to Send 2 Orcas to Sanctuary
  France is closing down orca captivity, and not a moment too soon -- two orcas died within the last year at Marineland Antibes. But where will the last two orcas go? Not another concrete tank in Japan!?
  Apr 17, 2024
• Victory: Three Dolphin Prisons Shutting Down
  IMMP and our colleagues are seeking an end to the keeping of whales and dolphins in concrete prison tanks for profit. Recently, years of effort has resulted in the closing of three notorious dolphinariums. But where will the animals go?
  Mar 20, 2024
• More Stories >

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