Havard Neshag touches Keiko, the killer whale, on September 2, 2002 in Oslo. Keiko has travelled far and wide after his release from captivity. The whale turned up recently at the North-West coast of Norway where at first he caused some concern, but was soon greeeted by the friendly hands as he appeared playful in the unseasonably warm weather presently experienced in Norway. PHOTO – REUTERS

OSLO – Keiko the killer whale, star of the „Free Willy“ movies, came to the wrong place for new friends when he arrived in Norway this week – the only nation in the world that hunts whales commercially. The world‘s most famous orca, released into the wild just six weeks ago, turned up in a narrow Norwegian fjord this week, where he has made a splash with the locals and even allowed children to ride on his back. Whale experts worried about his fate.

Millions of dollars have been spent on preparing the 10-metre animal for life in the wild after the 1993 movie „Free Willy“ prompted a campaign for his release, but Keiko still seems to prefer human company. One expert, Nils Oien at the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, said he thought Keiko would never be able to survive in the wild after spending almost his entire life in captivation.

„I think putting him to sleep would be an alternative,“ he said, prompting a death threat from a U.S.-based animal rights activist.

Keiko showed up in western Norway after swimming some 1,400 km from an Icelandic sea pen following his release in July. Norway, with long whaling traditions, resumed commercial hunting of whales in 1993, ignoring a global moratorium. However, it only hunts the minke whale.

Dag Paulsen, a spokesman for the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, said authorities were looking into other options to ensure Keiko‘s well-being and he would not be killed. He said Norwegian authorities were talking to Keiko‘s monitoring team, which has tracked Keiko since he left Iceland, to decide whether to use food to lure him back to deep waters or find another fjord in western Norway away from the fish farms. REUTERS