A tragic incident at Loro Parque’s Orca Ocean in the Canary Islands left many shaken after 28-year-old orca trainer Alexis Martinez was killed during a rehearsal performance on December 24, 2009.
Martinez, who had been working closely with killer whales at the park, lost his life during a routine training session with a 6,600-pound male orca named Keto. The attack occurred just two months before a similar incident in the United States, where orca trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed by another whale.
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| Alexis Martinez and Keto |
According to Martinez’s partner, Estefanía Luis Rodriguez, he had expressed growing concern over the animals’ behavior in the weeks leading up to the tragedy. He reportedly noted that the whales were becoming increasingly disobedient, disruptive, and aggressive.
Keto, the orca involved in the incident, was born in captivity at a SeaWorld park in 1995 and had never experienced the ocean. At the time of the attack, he was on loan from SeaWorld to Loro Parque.
The fatal encounter occurred during a maneuver known as a “stand-on spy hop,” in which the trainer balances on the orca as it rises vertically from the water. However, Keto leaned to one side, and witnesses say he appeared to deliberately position himself between Martinez and the platform.
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| Alexis Martinez and Dawn Brancheau/ Estefanía Luis Rodriguez |
As the situation escalated, Martinez was instructed to swim calmly to another pool, while fellow trainers attempted to use standard control techniques to redirect the orca. Despite their efforts, Keto did not respond. Instead, he used his rostrum — the hard tip of his snout — to push Martinez to the bottom of the pool, where he violently played with his body.
Eventually, trainers regained control and recovered Martinez from the water. Despite their efforts, he had sustained catastrophic injuries, including internal bleeding and trauma that proved fatal.
A post-mortem examination confirmed that Martinez died as a result of “grave injuries sustained during an orca attack,” including multiple compression fractures, torn organs, and bite marks.
In the wake of Martinez’s death, SeaWorld temporarily suspended all in-water interactions with orcas at its three parks.
