ooh pretty colors, i like how clean the photo is

Cool, i've never seen a still photo of a pec-slap, looks very strange with the water still XP

FOREVER KEIKO...... rip brave boy.

Free Willy turned out to be the worst thing for him.. He was what ignited my love of Orcas

Can I ask why you think Free Willy was bad for Keiko? It was the publicity from that movie that got him freed, you know..

and by being free it ultimately caused his death because he was so used to people that he refused to leave the shore where he found people & got Pneumonia. He was not equipped to join a pod and a solo Orca with no "wild training" has no real chance.

This is very true, but I believe that if he had stayed at where he was prior to the filming, he still wouldn't be alive today. Before his release, he was moved to a holding tank (I think it was in Oregon?) and I think that that is where he was the happiest.

I thought you were going to pull some "they went and caught a poor whale to film this movie duuuurrrrr" or something, since really a lot of people don't know the whole story, haha.

There's actually a really cool little documentary about him that was filmed prior to his release, but regarding it. It's only like an hour long, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3fZ2dMdtu8 , I don't know if you're that interested but if you are, give it a watch :3

oh no not at all. The movie served to bring the plight of captive whales to the light so we can learn from it. He definitely needed better living conditions but his story did not play out well. And unfortunately all the All captive whales should be freed people don't consider the consequences. Most whales are now bred in captivity and have NO concept of how to survive in the wild. "freeing" them ultimately condemns them to death. I have a problem with that. More humane living conditions are a must though.

I agree completely. How do you feel about the whole thing going on with Kshamenk right now?

Though he has been in captivity for about 20 years, I think he would actually be a really good candidate for release (or even a sea-pen) because of how much he HATES humans. He has no emotional attachment to any trainers or the human race at all. And since he was caught at the old age of 6, he had time in the wild to develop hunting skills and such. If he were released, such skills would need to be sharpened, of course.

honestly I'm iffy on it. Sounds like he has potential but 20 years of captivity may have more bearing on him than the 6 first years in the wild. Personally I think that if they've spent that long in captivity, they kinda need to stay their for their own survival.

Oh laws this is a beautiful photo... And of one of the most beautiful creatures I've ever seen. Can't help but feel a little sad. </3
Thank you so much for sharing! ^^