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From Serial: ‘The Good Whale’ - The Daily | Wave AI Podcast Notes

From Serial: ‘The Good Whale’

Sun Nov 24 2024

After the movie “Free Willy” became a hit, word got out that the star of the film, a killer whale named Keiko, was sick and living in a tiny pool at a Mexican amusement park. Fans were outraged and pleaded for his release. “The Good Whale” tells the story of the wildly ambitious science experiment to return Keiko to the ocean — while the world watched. An epic tale that starts in Mexico and ends in Norway, the six-episode series follows Keiko as he’s transported from country to country, each time landing in the hands of well-intentioned people who believe they know what’s best for him — people who still disagree, decades later, about whether they did the right thing. “The Good Whale" is a new show from Serial Productions and The New York Times. Search for it wherever you get your podcasts, or follow it at: https://lnk.to/good-whale For an exclusive look inside the making of “The Good Whale,” sign up for the newsletter at: nytimes.com/serialnewsletter

Summary

The Daily | From Serial: ‘The Good Whale’

Overview

In the episode “From Serial: ‘The Good Whale’,” The Daily takes listeners on an emotional and thought-provoking journey through the life of Keiko, the captive killer whale who rose to fame as the star of the beloved movie Free Willy. Hosted by Michael Barbaro and Sabrina Tavernise, the episode delves into Keiko’s tumultuous history, the global campaign to save him, and the broader implications for human-animal relationships and environmental conservation.

Keiko’s Captive Life

The story begins in the early 1990s with Keiko, an orca entering his teenage years at Reyno Aventura, an amusement park in Mexico City. Daniel Alarcon, the narrator, outlines Keiko’s harrowing past:

“Before Reyno Aventura, Keiko was bullied in Canada and confined in a small tank in Iceland, cruelly separated from his pod in the North Atlantic” ([01:31]).

Keiko’s separation from his family at a young age disrupted the natural social bonds essential for male orcas, who rely heavily on their mothers throughout their lives. Renata Fernandez, one of Keiko’s trainers, shares her deep emotional connection:

“He was my kid. He was my baby… It was the best seven years of my life” ([03:32]).

Despite the dedicated care from Renata and her colleagues, Keiko’s life in captivity was far from ideal. His environment was polluted, and his physical health deteriorated, leaving him underweight and battling a skin rash.

The Birth of Free Willy

In 1992, as Reyno Aventura prepared for renovations, Warner Brothers approached the park with a proposal to feature Keiko in a new movie, Free Willy. The film aimed to portray Keiko as Willie, a rebellious whale yearning for freedom, mirroring the public’s growing concern for his well-being. The director, Oscar Porter, approved the project without scrutinizing the script, inadvertently setting the stage for Keiko’s transformation into a cultural icon.

Public Outcry and Media Attention

Upon the release of Free Willy on July 16, 1993, the positive reviews quickly gave way to alarming reports about Keiko’s poor living conditions. Michael Barbaro highlights the stark contrast between the movie’s hopeful ending and Keiko’s grim reality:

“The way it treated Willie in the movie… Not at all” ([16:13]).

As news spread, public sentiment shifted dramatically. Children who adored Willie now demanded action to save Keiko, leading to widespread media coverage and a burgeoning grassroots movement.

The Role of Dave Phillips

Enter Dave Phillips, a passionate biologist and environmentalist. Inspired by the Save the Whales movement of the late 1970s, Dave was approached by Dick Donner, a Hollywood producer, to spearhead an unprecedented rescue mission for Keiko. Initially hesitant, Dave was persuaded by the potential to transform Keiko into a symbol for broader ocean conservation efforts.

“Whales are magic… you could use Keiko to tell a story about the ocean itself” ([33:01]).

Dave’s vision extended beyond saving a single whale; he aimed to galvanize global efforts to protect marine life and habitats.

The Free Willy Keiko Foundation

To facilitate Keiko’s rescue, Dave established the Free Willy Keiko Foundation. Fundraising efforts included donations from the U.S. Humane Society, Warner Brothers, and individual philanthropists, amassing millions to fund the project. Michael Barbaro narrates the logistical challenges:

“Moving any object as big as a killer whale is an engineering problem” ([40:12]).

With the necessary funds, the foundation secured a larger, more suitable pool in Oregon, marking the first step towards rehabilitating Keiko for potential release into the wild.

Emotional Farewells and Departure

The departure of Keiko from Mexico City was a poignant moment for both his trainers and the Mexican public. Renata Fernandez recounts the final moments at Reyno Aventura:

“We would all get into the water and we all played with Keiko… there was a lot of crying” ([39:14]).

On January 6, 1996, amidst an outpouring of public emotion, Keiko was transported to Oregon. The journey was fraught with logistical hurdles and emotional farewells as thousands gathered to bid him goodbye.

Challenges of Rewilding

Upon arrival in Oregon, it became evident that rewilding Keiko was a monumental task. He faced numerous obstacles, including:

Health Issues: Keiko was battling his papillomavirus and was severely underweight, necessitating extensive medical treatment ([29:44]).
Lack of Survival Skills: Years in captivity had left him incapable of hunting live fish or surviving independently in the wild ([30:12]).
Social Integration: Reintegrating Keiko into a wild pod was uncertain, compounded by the loss of his original family and the difficulties in locating them ([31:33]).

Despite these challenges, Dave remained committed to the mission, viewing Keiko’s potential rescue as a beacon for wider environmental advocacy.

Conclusion and Reflections

“The Good Whale” encapsulates a heartfelt narrative of human compassion, environmental activism, and the complexities of interspecies relationships. It poses profound questions about our responsibilities toward animals and the natural world, highlighting the delicate balance between admiration and intervention.

“How far could Keiko go? Would he be able to adapt back to the ocean?” ([34:22]).

As the episode concludes, listeners are left contemplating the intricate interplay between human intentions and the unpredictable nature of wildlife rehabilitation.

Notable Quotes

Renata Fernandez: “He was my kid. He was my baby… It was the best seven years of my life” ([03:32]).
Michael Barbaro: “The way it treated Willie in the movie… Not at all” ([16:13]).
Daniel Alarcon: “Whales are magic… you could use Keiko to tell a story about the ocean itself” ([33:01]).
Renata Fernandez: “We would all get into the water and we all played with Keiko… there was a lot of crying” ([39:14]).

Final Thoughts

“The Good Whale” serves not only as a tribute to Keiko’s life but also as a reflection on the broader environmental issues that continue to challenge our relationship with the natural world. Through Keiko’s story, The Daily invites listeners to engage with the ethical and practical dilemmas of wildlife conservation, emphasizing the enduring impact of individual animals on global consciousness.

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Transcript

Sponsor Voice (0:00)

This podcast is brought to you by Apple Pay. When you've got a gift list to finish, the last thing you want to do is take out your wallet a million times. Instead, pay the Apple way. With Apple Pay, you can pay with a phone you're already holding. Just double click, smile at Face ID tap, and you're done. The people in line behind you will thank you. Apple Pay is a service provided by Apple Payment Services, llc, a subsidiary of Apple Inc. Any card used in Apple Pay is offered by the card issuer.

Michael (0:26)

Hey, it's Michael. Today we're going to pause our usual Sunday Reads programming to bring you something really special. It's the first episode of a new show from our colleagues over at Serial Productions, and I don't want to spoil too much here. What I can tell you is that this is a show about love, friendship, fear, Hollywood. And it poses enormous questions for all of us as humans about our relationships with animals and with nature. It's thought provoking and it's moving. It's the story of the captive killer whale named Keiko who starred in the movie Free Willy. And it's hosted by Danielle Alarcon and the show is called the Good Whale. To hear the whole six part series, you can search for the good whale wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes come out every Thursday. Okay, here's episode one of the Good Whale.

Daniel Alarcon (1:31)

Our story begins in the early 90s with an orca named Keiko. He's just entering his teenage years living at an amusement park in Mexico City called Reyno Aventura, or Adventure Kingdom. He's not from there, but for the last seven years, a tank in this polluted landlocked megacity more than 7,000ft above sea level, has been his home. Before that, it was a marine park in Canada where he was bullied by the other orcas. Before that, it was a tank in a big concrete building in Iceland where he was kept for about three years, unable to see the sky. And even before that, it was the North Atlantic where he was captured and separated from his mom and the rest of his whale pod. Probably when he was around too. I don't think I really understood how traumatic this could have been until I learned that male killer whales are essentially mama's boys, and not just when they're young, but basically their entire lives. Even as adults, they might swim by their mother's side. They depend on her. A mother orca might catch a fish, bite it in two, and give half to her son. This kind of closeness is documented in male orcas well into their 20s or 30s, and Keiko was deprived of the chance to have that. At age 2, Keiko would probably still have been swimming in his mother's slipstream, still mastering the language of his pod. He wouldn't have yet learned how to hunt on his own, despite weighing more than £1,000. In developmental terms, Keiko would have been just a baby, ripped from his mother from everything he'd ever known, and from a life that may have been largely spent by her side. So, of course, it's hard to talk about a pool in a Mexican amusement park as a substitute for any of that. But what I can say is that the people who work there, they truly, sincerely love Keiko. They are, for all intents and purposes, his pod.

Daniel Alarcon (13:33)

The movie poster is what most people remember. It's the image that was absorbed into the culture. A still from the film's climax. Willie in mid flight against an orange sunset, jumping over a breakwater. The ocean beckons. The boy stands just below Willie beneath an arc of sea spray, a triumphant arm pointing to the sky. The tagline reads, how far would you go for a friend? When it came to who would play Willie, it wasn't like Warner Brothers had a ton of killer whales to choose from. A producer on the film told us her team approached a few different marine parks, but people weren't excited about the message of the movie and wanted changes to the script. Finally, they landed on Reyno Aventura, who signed off, as we mentioned, without even reading it. And Keiko, it turns out, was perfect for the part. See, for the film to work, the producers needed something very specific. A kind of sad looking whale living in less than ideal conditions. They needed a whale kids would feel sorry for, a whale children would want to save. And the fact is, while Keiko might have been happy, he wasn't actually that healthy. He was a couple thousand pounds underweight. Not because he was underfed, but probably because the warm water affected his appetite. He had a skin rash, too, something called papillomavirus, which looked bad even though the veterinarian at Reno Aventura said it wasn't that serious. But most striking of all was his tank. It was small, disturbingly small. One of the film's producers joked it was smaller than some swimming pools in Beverly Hills. The water he swam in wasn't even seawater, just fresh water with salt added. Renata says they checked the salt levels frequently and they weren't under any illusions that Keiko's living conditions were ideal. She told me Reno Aventura looked into building a larger pool, but just couldn't make it work financially. So strip away for a moment. Almost everything I've told you, Forget the love and the games and the trainers and the fans and see instead what the camera sees. Keiko, a smaller than average killer whale with a droopy dorsal fin, swimming alone in a tiny shallow pool. He was exactly what the movie required. Free Willy was released on July 16, 1993, and the reviews were positive, at least until journalists started asking what was up with the star of the movie. And news reports about Keiko's subpar living conditions and health began spreading. The movie Free Willy has a great ending, but real life didn't treat the real star of the box office hit.

Daniel Alarcon (42:29)

Once Keiko was in the sling, it was attached to a crane that lifted him out of the pool and placed him in a shipping container filled with 3,000 pounds of freshwater ice. The container sat on the back of a tractor trailer, ready for the hour or so drive across the city to the airport. Once there, it would be loaded onto a giant cargo plane. David convinced UPS to deliver Keiko to Oregon for free. When the caravan finally left, there were crowds, more than they'd expected. Ordinary people who loved this killer whale. Whole families, children who drag their parents out in the middle of the night to say goodbye. All gathered just outside the gates of the Reynoventura parking lot. So many that police had to move them just so the caravan could pass. And they soon discovered it wasn't just at the gates that the crowds had gathered. It was everywhere. I've talked to a lot of people who were there that night, lining the streets, desperate to say their farewells. One person told me the only thing he could compare it to was the time the Pope visited Mexico City. The route to the airport was supposed to be secret, but that's not how it worked out. Reporters kept the city abreast of the caravan's progress. There were thousands of people lining the streets. Boys in their pajamas carrying handwritten signs and girls in pigtails carrying Mexican flags. Teens shouting and calling Keiko's name. You have to wonder if the whale could hear them chanting, he should stay. He should stay. Then somewhere along the slow, ponderous route to the airport, there was a mariachi band playing an old song about a loved one's goodbye. Las Colondrinas where can the tired swallow go? Say the lyrics tossed by the wind with nowhere to hide Remember my homeland, beloved pilgrim, and cry. Cars and mopeds follow the procession, Drivers waving, honking their horns. Honestly, it's a little bit mad, the emotion on people's faces, the palpable sense of loss. Dave says some people had to be peeled off Keiko's container as they tried to climb it. The procession just creeps along as best they can through the impossibly crowded late night streets. A city, a country, saying goodbye to its beloved whale.

Daniel Alarcon (47:28)

New York Times All Access and Audio subscribers can binge all episodes of the Good Whale right now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Just head to the link in our show notes and subscribe. Or if you're already a subscriber to the Times, link your account. Also sign up for our newsletter where each week we'll be sharing photos and behind the scenes info on the Goodwill. This week we've got photos and links to video from Keiko's life at Reyno Aventura, the place he called home for more than a decade. You should definitely check it out. The link to sign up is also in our show notes or go to nytimes.com serial newsletter and there's a Spanish language version of this first episode that we produce for my other podcast, Radio Ambulante. You can look for that@radioambulante.org the goodwill is written by me, Daniel Alarcon and Republican, supported by me and Katie Mingle. The show is produced by Katie and Alyssa Shipp. Jen Guerra is our editor. Additional editing from Julie Snyder and Ira Glass. Sound design music supervision and mixing by Phoebe Wang. The original score for the Goodwill comes from La Chica and Osman. Our theme music is by Nick Thorburn and additional music from Matt McGinley. The song Las Golondrinas in today's episode was performed by Mariachi Hidalgo nyc. It was produced and engineered by Dan Powell, Brad Fisher and Pat McCusker. Research and fact checking by Jane Ackerman with help from Ben Phelan. Tracking direction by Elna Baker. Susan Wesling is our Standards Editor. Legal review from Alameen Sumar and Simone Prokis. Carlos Lopez Estrada is a contributing editor on the series. The supervising producer for Serial Productions is Nday Chubu. Mac Miller is the Executive Assistant for Serial. Liz Davis Moore is the Senior Operations Manager. Special thanks to Lauren Schuler, Donner Jenny Lou Toogend, Nina Litvak, Rob Friedman, Jose Solorzano, Kenneth Brower, Dalia Kozlowski, Pablo Arguelles and Katie Fuchs. The Good Whale is from Serial Productions and the New York Times.