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The Good Whale

The Good Whale is the story of the killer whale (Keiko) featured in the movie Free Willy. Keiko’s journey from captivity to freedom is described in this podcast. In the two episodes I heard, I learned about Keiko’s early years in captivity and the efforts that were made to return him to the ocean. This is a fascinating series that those interested in killer whales will especially enjoy.

In episode one, you learn how Keiko came to be in captivity- he was captured at the approximate age of two off the coast of Iceland. After moving from a few facilities, he ended up at Reino Aventura, an amusement park in Mexico. Though the staff were well-meaning and cared for him, Keiko’s tank was small and the water was too warm for a killer whale. This climate caused him to become sick. The popularity of Free Willy brought these problems to light. Under enormous pressure, Warner Brothers aided Dave Phillips of International Marine Mammal Project in his effort to return Keiko to the wild.

In the following episode, the host (Daniel Alarcón) describes how Keiko was moved to an aquarium in Oregon and what his life was like there. His tank was bigger and the water temperature was colder. Trainers worked with him daily to improve his health. He went from holding his breath underwater from three minutes to thirteen minutes. Trainers at the facility debated whether his health increased enough to enable Keiko to survive in the wild. One referred to him as a ‘golden retriever’ while others were more optimistic of his condition.

The Good Whale is a six part series. So far only three episodes have been released-new episodes are published on Thursdays. I have really enjoyed the episodes that I heard. The series is an interesting blend of investigative journalism and cetology. Listeners to this podcast will hear shocking facts about Keiko’s captivity and learn about the fascinating biology and behaviors of killer whales. I look forward to learning more about Keiko’s journey to freedom from this podcast.

Michael Walsh is an Adult Series Librarian at the Will Library. He is currently reading Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King.


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