Killing Keiko by Mark A. Simmons Page A

behavioral
     modification, normal killer whale behavior, nutritional dynamics and physiology. But
     talk is cheap; we would need to show them results.
    Initially I spent a great deal of time with Stephen, who seemed willing to share the
     most detail regarding Keiko’s recent past. We talked about the staff’s affinity for
     getting in the water with Keiko and how that practice retarded progress toward rehabilitation
     for release. It seemed common sense to me that continuing playful in-water interactions
     with Keiko were not in alignment with the goal of release. Stephen offered that it
     was one of their only ways to keep Keiko stimulated. Still, I wondered what the world
     would think if they saw just how docile this animal was with his trainers in the water
     rubbing his back and belly. In a similar vein, we discussed Keiko’s fixation with
     the blue Boomer Ball, which Stephen described in great comedic detail sparing no small
     amount of adult-rated analogy. I pressed him on the activities in Oregon, the rationale
     behind program directives, who had implemented behavioral protocols and details of
     what individual sessions were like.
    According to Stephen’s description, little emphasis had been placed on Keiko’s learning.
     The primary stated goals of the Oregon phase had been simply to put weight on the
     whale and eliminate dependency on a slew of medications. In this capacity, theyhad certainly succeeded. Keiko was on nothing more than supplemental vitamins needed
     to replace the nutrients lost in the freezing and thawing of his food, of which he
     received a handsome quantity day-in and day-out. Judging by his enormous size, this
     amount was certainly more than he required, which had much to do with his lethargy.
    Throughout the many hours I dwelled on the pen, I amassed more one-on-one time with
     the diverse staff. With each passing exposure, I learned about their past and how
     each had become involved with the project. The release team was divided into two rotations
     of personnel. Each team worked four weeks on-site followed by four weeks at home in
     the States. Every four weeks, a completely new staff would rotate in, occupy the hostel
     and take over the operation. Jeff led one rotation and Peter Noah the other. Although
     anyone on staff could and did work with Keiko at times, the primary individuals who
     attended to his needs, and whom I met on that first rotation, were Stephen, Karen
     McRea and Steve Sinelli.
    I was shocked to learn that none of the three had ever worked with a killer whale
     before Keiko. Worse yet, none had any professional experience in animal behavioral
     sciences. For example, Stephen, known informally as the “director of comedy relief,”
     had been a restaurant chef before joining the Keiko team. He proved to be a master
     of the galley, concocting some of the most exquisite Thai food I had ever consumed;
     this from the non-Thai assortment of raw ingredients available on the rock island.
     He, like so many providing Keiko’s daily care, cherished his role in training and
     was all heart when beside the pool. Unfortunately his professional experience was
     in the kitchen.
    When they conquered the moon landing, NASA was given almost unlimited powers to call
     upon and collect the world’s most prominent scientists in rocket propulsion and lunar
     exploration. These innovators demonstrating a technological prowess and singular focus,
     eventually achieved the impossible. Here we had what consisted of an emotionally charged
     group of volunteers from theOregon Coast Aquarium leading the most ambitious animal release program ever conceived.
     If there was a silver lining to the lack of experience on the project, it was that
     they would be hungry for clear and focused direction. Or at least that’s what was
     initially represented.
    I was drawn to Keiko in many ways. He was a killer whale, one of the most amazing
     species of animal that I have ever worked around.