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Keiko: Freeing 'Free Willy'

In 1998, Keiko - the star of Hollywood blockbuster Free Willy - became the first ever killer whale to be released back into the wild after a life of captivity.

In 1998, Keiko became the first ever killer whale to be released back into the wild after a life of captivity.

Keiko shot to fame as the star of the 1993 Hollywood blockbuster, Free Willy.

A multimillion dollar campaign to free Keiko began following the success of the movie and he was flown back to his native country, Iceland.

Dave Phillips was in charge of making it all happen. He has been sharing his memories with Matt Pintus.

(Photo: Keiko in Iceland. Credit: Getty Images)

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9 minutes

Last on

Sat 25 Mar 2023 05:50GMT
BBC World Service Australasia

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