Organizers of the campaign to bring a killer whale from Mexico to Oregon say there is no guarantee the 3-1/2-ton star of the “Free Willy” movies will ever go free.

Preparations are under way to move the orca named Keiko on Jan. 7 from the Reino Aventura (Adventure Kingdom) amusement park in Mexico City to the Oregon Coast Aquarium near Newport.

Many donors who contributed millions of dollars for the move - including Florida schoolchildren who helped raise $30,000 - are expecting Keiko to be rehabilitated in Oregon, then set free.

But even marine mammal experts admit the whale may never be released to the wild.

Even at 3-1/2 tons, the orca is about a ton underweight. His teeth are worn from chewing the edges of the concrete pool in Mexico City, and he has never lived with other killer whales.