Keiko: Top news
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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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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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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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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For 40 years, the International Marine Mammal Project has been working to protect whales, dolphins, and their ocean homes.
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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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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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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.
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Plans Are Moving Forward with the Support of the Russian Government to Free the Whales Now Held in the Whale Jail in the Russian Far East. Earth Island's International Marine Mammal Project is a Supporter of the Effort, But Questions Remain.
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Prominent Citizens from Around the World, Including Russians, Have Signed a Letter Urging President Putin to Restore the Whales, Currently Held in the Notorious Russian "Whale Jail", to Their Ocean Families. Scientists, Actors, Supermodels and Business Leaders Have Signed!
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Campaign Top News
- International Marine Mammal Project >
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From pushing for sanctuaries for Wikie & Keijo and 30 beluga whales, to opposing attempts to gut the Endangered Species and Marine Mammal Protection Acts, to protecting wetlands in the Barataria basin, the International Marine Mammal Project has accomplished a great deal in 2025 for whales and dolphins.
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What is it like being a student intern at the International Marine Mammal Project? An internship can be life-changing for a student. Our intern Jillian talks about her experience with IMMP.
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From battling the whaling industry in Japan and Iceland, to exposing the continued slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan, to saving the lives of tens of thousands of dolphins annually through Dolphin Safe tuna, the International Marine Mammal Project has accomplished a lot in 2024.
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- Save Japan Dolphins >
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The Taiji dolphin drive hunts have again ended, killing hundreds of dolphins for meat after removing "show quality" animals for a miserable life in captivity. Numbers were slightly higher this year for slaughter, although historically low compared to recent years.
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Three species of dolphins have been captured and slaughtered over the past month as the bloody Taiji dolphin drive hunts continue. Most of the dolphins you see in these photos are now dead. The hunts end on March 1st, but six months later, they will begin again.
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A former dolphin trainer explains the damage done by dolphin and small whale captures in Taiji, Japan. Learn the facts about how the aquarium industry sources wild dolphins for a lifetime of misery in small concrete tanks.
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- Dolphin + Whale Project >
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What's at stake as the administration pushes a huge expansion of offshore oil drilling off the entire US Coast? Oil spills, loud underwater noise, and toxic contamination threaten our whales, dolphins, and other marine life. Your voice is needed to stave off another oil disaster.
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The gray whale population along the US Pacific coast is in trouble. They have declined recently to half their numbers in just a few years. Climate-related changes in the Arctic harm their main food source, and ship strikes and entanglement also kill many during the year. What can be done?
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With only 380 individual whales remaining, the North Atlantic right whale population will decline if the killing of whales continues. Here's the story of two right whales, Division and Porcia's calf, both victims of our modern society, too much in a hurry.
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- Keiko Whale Rescue >
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Like most cetaceans, beluga whales do poorly in captivity. Many are now kept in aquariums around the world -- some get stranded once the aquarium or park goes broke and shuts down. Learn about the beluga whale, and why it is a bad idea to keep them in small concrete tanks.
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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.
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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!
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- Dolphin Safe Fishing >
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The US is now the biggest importer of seafood in the world, but the sustainability of many of the fisheries involved is highly questionable. The experience with the Dolphin Safe tuna label can help form better monitoring and protection for fish populations, as well as protect non-target species like marine mammals.
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Every year, we estimate that the Dolphin Safe label on tuna cans saves the lives of 90,000 dolphins annually in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean, and many more in other oceans of the world. You, as a consumer, should know how the Dolphin Safe label works to protect dolphins in global tuna fisheries.
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A new Marine Mammal Protection Act has been proposed for the Philippines, with strong support from our IMMP Philippines office, with the support of Representative Co. Read about this new legislation to protect endangered species like the Irrawaddy dolphin and other Filipino whales and dolphins.
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- Freeing Orca Whales from Captivity >
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The orcas Wikie and her son Keijo are still trapped in Marineland in France. Marineland wants the orcas to go to Loro Parque Zoo, an aquarium in Spain with one of the worst records of captive orca deaths. IMMP is urging the French government to instead retire Wikie and Keijo to a seaside sanctuary in Nova Scotia.
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Captivity in small concrete aquarium tanks is hard and often fatal for whales and dolphins. Dr. Lori Marino and her colleagues have laid out the issues for cetaceans in captivity in a new scientific article, building a powerful scientific case for ending captivity for whales and dolphins.
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Four captive orcas died in their concrete tanks in 2025, never to see or feel the ocean ever again. This tragic death march will continue until all captive cetaceans are retired to seaside sanctuaries. Learn about Katina, Kshamenk, Earth, and Kamea -- all dead.
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- Freeing Wikie & Keijo >