Daniel Alarcón

Somewhere in the North Atlantic, near Iceland, presumably.

Somewhere in the North Atlantic, near Iceland, presumably.

Did you do like a back of the envelope sort of like what's this going to cost thing like on the plane back?

Did you do like a back of the envelope sort of like what's this going to cost thing like on the plane back?

So 10 impossible steps, at least. But let's be real. For Dave, it was also one giant opportunity. Up until this point, Dave had been thinking about Keiko the way everyone in the world was thinking about Keiko, as one individual killer whale in need of saving. But what if he allowed himself to see it differently?

So 10 impossible steps, at least. But let's be real. For Dave, it was also one giant opportunity. Up until this point, Dave had been thinking about Keiko the way everyone in the world was thinking about Keiko, as one individual killer whale in need of saving. But what if he allowed himself to see it differently?

He'd experienced firsthand the hold that whales had over people at anti-whaling marches across the world. He'd seen the power that media campaigns could wield with the Save the Whales movement. This could be something much bigger. What if Keiko, the individual, could become Keiko, the symbol? What if you could use Keiko to tell a story about the ocean itself?

He'd experienced firsthand the hold that whales had over people at anti-whaling marches across the world. He'd seen the power that media campaigns could wield with the Save the Whales movement. This could be something much bigger. What if Keiko, the individual, could become Keiko, the symbol? What if you could use Keiko to tell a story about the ocean itself?

And Dave knew you could do a lot with that kind of star power, with that kind of attention. So he set aside his doubts and decided that, yes, as absurd as it sounded, he was all in. Once Dave committed to getting Keiko out of Mexico, the next step was logistics. And what I'm about to say is pretty obvious, but it's worth saying anyway. Moving an orca is not easy.

And Dave knew you could do a lot with that kind of star power, with that kind of attention. So he set aside his doubts and decided that, yes, as absurd as it sounded, he was all in. Once Dave committed to getting Keiko out of Mexico, the next step was logistics. And what I'm about to say is pretty obvious, but it's worth saying anyway. Moving an orca is not easy.

One of the first things Dave did was create a whole new organization, the Free Willy Keiko Foundation. The U.S. Humane Society chipped in a million dollars. Dave secured a couple million more from a billionaire cell phone magnet. Warner Brothers also agreed to put in $2 million, which sounds like a lot until you consider they made $150 million on Free Willy.

One of the first things Dave did was create a whole new organization, the Free Willy Keiko Foundation. The U.S. Humane Society chipped in a million dollars. Dave secured a couple million more from a billionaire cell phone magnet. Warner Brothers also agreed to put in $2 million, which sounds like a lot until you consider they made $150 million on Free Willy.

And by this point, the sequel, Free Willy 2, was already in production. Still, with that money, Dave was able to convince a small marine park in Oregon to let the foundation build them a new, much bigger pool just for Keiko. And so now, all Dave needed was the whale. which you might assume would be the hard part, given that Keiko was the main attraction at Reino Aventura.

And by this point, the sequel, Free Willy 2, was already in production. Still, with that money, Dave was able to convince a small marine park in Oregon to let the foundation build them a new, much bigger pool just for Keiko. And so now, all Dave needed was the whale. which you might assume would be the hard part, given that Keiko was the main attraction at Reino Aventura.

But it turned out that Oscar Porter, the director of Reino Aventura, wasn't opposed to the idea of giving him up. He had a whole park to run, and managing his most famous attraction had become an all-consuming headache. There were journalists and activists to deal with, Mexican television stars and singers calling to arrange private swims with Keiko...

But it turned out that Oscar Porter, the director of Reino Aventura, wasn't opposed to the idea of giving him up. He had a whole park to run, and managing his most famous attraction had become an all-consuming headache. There were journalists and activists to deal with, Mexican television stars and singers calling to arrange private swims with Keiko...

Porter told me he was spending three hours a day dealing with Keiko-related nonsense. Which is a lot, sure, but most worrying of all was what some of the outside veterinarians were saying. That Keiko might die soon. Porter really didn't want that to happen at Reno Aventura. So over the course of several months, Dave and Oscar Porter made a deal.

Porter told me he was spending three hours a day dealing with Keiko-related nonsense. Which is a lot, sure, but most worrying of all was what some of the outside veterinarians were saying. That Keiko might die soon. Porter really didn't want that to happen at Reno Aventura. So over the course of several months, Dave and Oscar Porter made a deal.

Reno Aventura agreed to donate Keiko to Dave's foundation for free.

Reno Aventura agreed to donate Keiko to Dave's foundation for free.