The story of Alexis Martinez and Keto, the killer whale, is a heartbreaking tale that sheds light on the risks associated with working with these magnificent creatures. Alexis Martinez, a Spanish animal trainer, dedicated his life to working with orcas at Loro Parque’s Orca Ocean in the Canary Islands. However, his life was cut short during a Christmas show rehearsal on December 24, 2009, in an unexpected turn of events.
Initially, the park labeled Martinez’s death as an accident. However, the autopsy report revealed a different truth – he had succumbed to fatal injuries sustained from an orca attack. Shockingly, this was not the first time the park had dismissed a similar incident as an accident.
Alexis Martinez, only 29 years old, had spent three years working closely with orcas at Loro Parque. Described as “handsome, generous, and funny” by his partner Estefanía Luis Rodriguez, Martinez had expressed concerns about the behavior of the killer whales leading up to his tragic death. He observed that they were becoming disobedient, disruptive, and increasingly aggressive.
Keto, a 6,600lb male orca, was born in captivity in 1995 at a SeaWorld park and had performed in several locations before being sent on loan to Loro Parque. The incident took place during Martinez’s third year at Orca Ocean. Keto was one of the four orcas loaned to the park from SeaWorld.
Martinez played a pivotal role in training the killer whales for the upcoming Christmas show. One of the tricks involved balancing on the whale’s back as it rose out of the water, known as a stand-on spy hop. Unfortunately, during this particular training session, Martinez fell into the water when Keto leaned to one side.
Following the training protocol, Martinez gave the orca a neutral response and no reward. However, Keto received fish as a reward for cooperating with another trainer shortly after.
Undeterred, Martinez attempted another move, riding Keto into the pool before sliding up onto the stage. However, Keto dove too deeply, forcing Martinez to swim back on his own. To his alarm, it appeared that the orca was blocking his path to the stage.
In a desperate attempt to ensure Martinez’s safety, he was instructed to swim slowly to another pool while his colleague distracted Keto. Despite the precautions, Keto targeted Martinez, forcibly submerging him and playing violently with his body. Eventually, other trainers were able to redirect Keto to a different pool, allowing them to retrieve Martinez. Tragically, he had already suffered fatal injuries.
This fateful incident occurred just a few months before the well-known fatal attack on Dawn Brancheau, a trainer at SeaWorld. Both tragedies highlighted the dangers of working closely with orcas.
Sadly, this was not the first time Loro Parque experienced an orca attack. In 2007, Claudia Vollhardt, a 29-year-old German trainer, was hospitalized after being attacked by the killer whale Tekoa during a rehearsal. Tekoa slammed into Vollhardt, pulling her underwater multiple times before finally releasing her. The incident was dismissed as an accident because the whale did not bite her.
These incidents, along with the release of the documentary “Blackfish” in 2013, have sparked public scrutiny of marine parks and their treatment of orcas. It is evident that orcas in captivity have higher mortality rates than their counterparts in the wild. They are separated from their families and confined to tanks, depriving them of the freedom they would experience in the open ocean.
Fortunately, there are organizations like The Whale Sanctuary Project working towards creating large seaside sanctuaries for rescued cetaceans. These sanctuaries aim to provide orcas like Keto with the chance to experience freedom while still receiving the care they need.
Let us remember the tragic loss of Alexis Martinez and work towards creating a world where humans and animals can coexist with compassion and understanding.
