A heartbreaking incident rocked the marine mammal community when 28-year-old orca trainer Alexis Martinez was killed by a killer whale during a rehearsal at Loro Parque’s Orca Ocean in the Canary Islands. The fatal attack occurred on December 24, 2009, just two months before the high-profile death of SeaWorld Orlando trainer Dawn Brancheau.
Martinez, a seasoned trainer from Spain, had devoted years to working with orcas. In the weeks before the attack, he reportedly voiced growing concerns about the whales’ behavior, noting they were becoming increasingly aggressive and unpredictable. His partner, Estefanía Luis Rodriguez, confirmed that he had been uneasy about recent changes in the animals’ conduct.
The orca responsible for the attack was Keto, a 6,600-pound male born in captivity at SeaWorld in 1995. Keto had never swum in the ocean and was on loan to Loro Parque from SeaWorld at the time.
The incident unfolded during a training routine called a “stand-on spy hop,” where the trainer balances on the orca as it emerges vertically from the water. Something went wrong. According to witnesses, Keto tilted sideways and intentionally blocked Martinez’s exit path. As the trainer tried to swim away to a secondary pool, Keto ignored standard commands and forcefully shoved him underwater with his rostrum—the pointed tip of his snout.
What followed was a violent encounter. Keto reportedly tossed and played roughly with Martinez’s body. Despite the team’s frantic efforts to intervene, Martinez suffered catastrophic injuries and could not be saved. An autopsy later revealed he died from internal bleeding, severe trauma, and multiple injuries, including fractured bones, torn organs, and bite marks.
Following the tragedy, SeaWorld temporarily halted all in-water orca interactions across its parks.
Martinez’s death intensified ongoing concerns about the dangers of working with captive killer whales and reignited global debate over the ethics of keeping such intelligent, powerful animals in captivity—a controversy that continues to spark fierce discussion today.
