October 4, 2002
KEIKO STILL NEEDS OUR HELP!
Welcomed by Norway
Miami Seaquarium loses bid - for now
This to give you up a brief update on Keiko, and to ask for your help once
more. Keiko is fine in most respects, and plans are forming that will take
him forward towards his ultimate goal of freedom, but worrisome things are
happening also. Since our last update (9/4) Keiko has been given a clean
bill of health - by his personal veterinarian, Dr. Lanny Cornell, by local
veterinarians working with Dr. Cornell, and by Norwegian animal welfare
authorities. Measurements of his body indicated that he arrived in
Norwegian waters in great physical condition – he had not lost weight at all
and must have gained tremendously in fitness during his long trip from
Iceland. There is no question that he has learned to forage for himself, a
key ingredient to his ultimate success. Just as relevant to his situation,
Keiko has been given a warm welcome by the government of Norway as
well as by the community of Halsa. The sentiment that has embraced
Keiko brought an 8 year old girl to Halsa to play the theme from Free Willy
to Keiko on her harmonica. It was the only tune she knew, and Keiko
responded to it as if he was still in the movie. The incident, of course,
served also to highlight Keiko’s greatest remaining problem – his
attachment to people. Freeing him from that attachment, or finding a
balance that works for him, is Keiko’s and the project’s greatest present
challenge. Soon, Keiko will be moved from Halsa to a more remote location
where he will be free to come and go. Project crew will be on hand to
assist Keiko as needed. Our hope remains that Keiko will continue to have
the opportunity to pursue his quest towards freedom, and we are
enormously thankful to Norway for giving him that chance. Just the same,
dangers continue to lurk in the shadows, perhaps especially in the USA.
Yesterday, we learned that the US National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) has turned down a bid from the Miami Seaquarium to capture Keiko
and take him back to the USA. This is very good news. Norway had written
a GREAT letter in response to the Miami Seaquarium and this probably is
what tipped the scales for NFMS. Here are some highlights from this letter.
”Norway will not make any problems for the project that has been going on
since 1999 with the approval of the relevant U.S. authorities. These
authorities still supervise the project.”
”In principle we are skeptical to keeping huge animals like whales in
captivity.”
”At the moment the whale has a freedom that makes it possible for him to
make choices.”
”.. it would be a great step back to put him in an aquarium again.”
”I would like to assure you that the people in Halsa are now very much
attached to Keiko, and would not like to see him depart.”
It is not often that we see governments express these kinds of sentiments
so openly, and we would like to encourage Norway to hold to these views
throughout the next difficult stages of the Keiko project. Nor do we doubt
that some factions in Norway would like to see a very different outcome for
Keiko than the prospect of living freely in Norwegian waters that is presently
being offered. This is where Keiko could use our help, and here is the first
thing you can do:
1. Write a letter to Norway thanking the government and people for
You can also send a message directly to the government of Norway. The
welcoming Keiko and supporting the efforts to keep him free. Go to
http://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/norway1.htm> and locate a
Norwegian
embassy or consulate in your country. If this doesn’t work, go to
http://www.google.com/> . Do a search for “Norway embassy
find listings that are appropriate for you. Phone or fax your thanks to
Norway for protecting Keiko. Remember that phoning or faxing gets more
attention than an email, so please take the time.
Ministry of Environment has a message board at
http://odin.dep.no/md/global/kontakt/index-b-n-a.jsp>. The Ministry of
Fisheries can be reached via email postmottak@fid.dep.no
24 90 90 or fax +47 22 24 95 85.
The additional concern is that NMFS has not totally dismissed the Miami
Seaquarium bid. The language of the letter from NMFS (Gene Nitta, Acting
Chief, Permits Division) is disturbing. He does not acknowledge that Keiko
is already legally “owned” by the Free Willy Keiko Foundation (FWKF), is
already the subject of a permit issued by NMFS, and is under the control of
The Humane Society of the US and the FWKF with the concurrence of the
government of Norway. Rather, NMFS says “the application you have
submitted is premature at this time” and “In the absence of any indication
that the
Norwegian government is willing to entertain proposals to capture Keiko,
NOAA Fisheries is unable to adequately evaluate an application for a permit
to import the whale.” This is very dodgy language and clearly indicates that
NMFS would be more than willing to entertain proposals to slam Keiko back
into a tank, provided only that Norway agrees to consider that as an option.
In our view, Keiko’s position is still tenuous, so we are asking you to also:
2. Write to NMFS expressing support for Keiko and requesting that NMFS
recognize that Keiko is already under the legal control of the HSUS and the
FWKF. Here is Gene Nitta’s contact info: email gene.nitta@noaa.gov
phone 301-713-2289 , fax 301-713-0376.
Please remember that what happens with Keiko affects the lives of all the
captives we care so deeply about. So please, take a few moments of your
time and help Keiko NOW.
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