Spanish animal trainer Alexis Martinez trained orcas at the Orca Ocean at Loro Parque in the Canary Islands. On December 24, 2009, two months prior to the passing of Dawn Brancheau, arguably the most well-known orca assault victim at SeaWorld, he was murdered during a Christmas performance practice. Despite the park’s original claim that Martinez’s death was an accident, the autopsy report revealed that he died as a result of the attack’s lethal injuries. Even worse, the park said that another orca attack two years before was just an accident.

Keto and Alexis Martinez

At Loro Parque, 29-year-old Alexis Martinez has three years of experience working with orcas. The animal lover was characterized as “handsome, generous, and funny” by his partner, Estefanía Luis Rodriguez. Martinez had voiced worries about his work at Orca Ocean, she disclosed. He claimed that the killer whales were become violent, disruptive, and disobedient in the final weeks before he passed away. Until the autopsy report revealed shredded organs, a crushed chest, and bite marks, the park initially described his death as an unfortunate accident and said his body exhibited no signs of violence.

Born in 1995 in a SeaWorld park, Keto, a 6,600-pound male, has never seen the ocean. He has given performances at parks in the Canary Islands, Texas, San Diego, and Ohio. The incident occurred during his third year at Orca Ocean in Loro Parque. Four orcas, including Keto, were loaned to Loro Parque from SeaWorld.

The Training Session That Was Fateful

Martinez’s experience was crucial in helping to train the animals for the impending Christmas performance. The trainer balanced on the killer whale as he emerged from the water for one of the feats, which was a stand-on spy hop. But when Keto leaned to one side, Martinez slipped into the water, thus the prank didn’t work out as intended. Martinez provided him with no reward and a neutral answer in accordance with instruction. After working with another trainer, the orca soon received fish as a reward.

Martinez did a technique where he rode the orca into the pool and then slid up onto the stage after he returned to work with Keto. But Keto went too far, and Martinez had to swim back by himself. But the orca appeared to be obstructing his trainer’s way to the stage.

Martínez’s Last Hours

While Keto was distracted by a coworker, Martinez was told to swim carefully to another pool. But Keto immediately targeted Martinez, crashing into him, submerging him, and brutally playing with his body. Keto was eventually summoned into another pool by other trainers, allowing them to recover Martinez, who had been fatally injured. Unfortunately, he passed away just a few months before Dawn Brancheau was killed in the SeaWorld attack.

The Previous Loro Parque Orca Attack

Claudia Vollhardt, a 29-year-old German orca trainer, was hospitalized in 2007 following an assault by the killer whale Tekoa. Vollhardt was practicing a trick with Tekoa at Loro Parque’s Orca Ocean, where the orca would use its snout to push her feet while they swam together. Rather, Tekoa struck the victim from underneath, caught her arm in its jaws, and repeatedly dragged her under water before releasing her. Because “the whale did not bite her,” the Loro Parque spokesperson at the time referred to the incident as an accident. She would have lost her arm if it had.

SeaWorld’s Demise?

Marine parks have been the subject of significant public criticism ever since the 2013 release of the documentary Blackfish. Compared to their wild counterparts, orcas in captivity have greater mortality rates. They would normally remain together for the rest of their lives, but they are separated from their families. Additionally, rather than traveling long distances in the ocean, they are limited to a tank. An organization called the Whale Sanctuary Project is aiming to establish sizable coastal sanctuaries where rescued cetaceans, like Keto, can enjoy this freedom for the first time while still being cared for by humans.