Keiko:A Killer Whale's Journey to Freedom

Keiko: A Killer Whale’s Journey to Freedom

Keiko：虎鲸的自由之旅

He was one of the biggest movie stars in the 1990s. So why did he live in a small, dirty home that was polluted with his own waste? He was also underweight and had terrible tooth and skin problems—not very attractive for a world- famous actor. But few people knew the sad truth about Keiko, the killer whale. Killer whales, also known as “ orcas, ” are found in oceans around the world. Keiko was born in the Atlantic, off the coast of Iceland.

他是20世纪90年代最大的电影明星之一。 那么，为什么他住在一个被自己的垃圾污染的又小又脏的家里呢？ 他体重不足，牙齿和皮肤问题严重，对一个世界著名的演员来说并不是很有吸引力。 但很少有人知道关于虎鲸Keiko的悲惨真相。 鲸鱼杀手，也称为“虎鲸”，在世界各地的海洋中都有发现。 Keiko出生在大西洋，离冰岛海岸不远。

At around age two, Keiko was captured by a crew aboard a fishing boat and taken to an aquarium. A few years later he was sold to a water park in Canada. There, Keiko began training to be a performer. Then he was sold to an amusement park in Mexico. For the next ten years, Keiko starred in over seven thousand performances at the park. He was hand-fed about sixty kilograms of dead fish each day. But his pool was too small, and Keiko was bored.

大约两岁时，Keiko在一艘渔船上被船员捕获，并被带到水族馆。 几年后，他被卖到了加拿大的一个水上公园。 在那里，Keiko开始训练成为一名演员。 然后他被卖到了墨西哥的一个游乐园。 在接下来的十年里，Keiko在公园里出演了七千多场演出。 他每天被用手喂大约60公斤死鱼。 但他的游泳池太小了，Keiko很无聊。

His dorsal fin, located on his back, was droopy. This meant Keiko was spending too much time on the surface of the water and swimming in only one direction. However, most audiences were not aware of Keiko’s poor living conditions. In 1993, when Keiko starred in the movie Free Willy, his life changed forever. Free Willy is about a boy and a water-park whale named Willy. The boy, who is deeply attached to Willy, finds out that Willy’s owners are planning to kill the whale.

他的背上的背鳍下垂了。 这意味着Keiko在水面上花费了太多时间，并都朝一个方向游泳。 然而，大多数观众并没有意识到Keiko糟糕的生活条件。 1993年，当Keiko主演电影《自由威利》时，他的生活永远改变了。 《自由威利》讲述的是一个男孩和一只名叫威利的水上公园鲸鱼。 男孩深深地爱上了威利，发现威利的主人正计划杀死这头鲸鱼。

The boy does everything he can to save, and eventually free, Willy. The movie was a big hit and touched audiences everywhere. It also led many people to think about Keiko’s real-life situation. In 1994 the Free Willy-Keiko Foundation was established to rescue Keiko and release him back into the wild. Thousands of children from around the world also campaigned for Keiko’s freedom. They wrote letters to politicians and raised money.

这个男孩尽一切努力去拯救，威利最终获得了自由。 这部电影大受欢迎，感动了各地的观众。 这也让很多人想到了Keiko的现实生活。 1994年，自由的威利·Keiko基金会成立，以拯救Keiko并将其放归大自然。 来自世界各地的数千名儿童也为Keiko的自由强烈呼吁。 他们写信给政客并筹集资金。

At last the amusement park in Mexico agreed to donate Keiko to the foundation. The foundation planned to return Keiko to the wild. But first they had to teach him how to live there. They built a new home for Keiko in the United States. But how could they move a seven-thousand-pound killer whale? UPS, a package delivery service, volunteered to move Keiko to his new home. Keiko’s new home in Oregon was a large, custom-made pool by the ocean.

最后，墨西哥的游乐园同意将Keiko捐赠给基金会。 基金会计划将Keiko送回大自然。 但首先他们必须教他如何在那里生活。 他们在美国为Keiko建造了一个新家。 但他们怎么能搬动一条重达7000磅的虎鲸呢？ 包裹递送服务公司UPS，自愿将Keiko搬到新家。 Keiko在俄勒冈州的新家是一个海边定制的大型游泳池。