A heartbreaking tragedy unfolded at Loro Parque’s Orca Ocean in the Canary Islands when 28-year-old orca trainer Alexis Martinez was killed during a Christmas Eve rehearsal by one of the killer whales under his care.
The incident occurred on December 24, 2009—just two months before the high-profile death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau in Florida—drawing international attention to the dangers of working with captive orcas.
Martinez, a Spanish national with years of experience working with marine mammals, had reportedly expressed growing concerns about the orcas’ increasingly aggressive and unpredictable behavior in the weeks leading up to the attack. According to his partner, Estefanía Luis Rodriguez, the whales had been acting more disobedient and erratic.
The orca responsible, Keto, was a 6,600-pound male born in captivity at a SeaWorld park in 1995 and loaned to Loro Parque at the time. Keto had never lived in the wild.
During a rehearsal for a show stunt known as a “stand-on spy hop”—in which the trainer stands on the whale as it rises vertically from the water—something went horribly wrong. Keto reportedly shifted to block Martinez’s path and then, ignoring commands, used his snout to force the trainer underwater.
The encounter quickly turned violent. Witnesses say the orca began playing aggressively with Martinez’s body as staff scrambled to intervene. Despite their efforts, Martinez sustained fatal injuries, including internal bleeding, organ damage, and extensive trauma.
The official autopsy cited “severe injuries resulting from an orca attack,” including compression fractures, internal organ tears, and bite marks.
Following the incident, SeaWorld suspended all in-water interactions with killer whales across its parks as a precautionary measure.
Martinez’s death reignited fierce debate about the ethics and safety of keeping killer whales in captivity—a conversation that continues to shape public opinion and policy in the U.S. and beyond.
