Spanish animal trainer Alexis Martinez, who worked with orcas at Loro Parque’s Orca Ocean in the Canary Islands, tragically lost his life during a Christmas performance practice on December 24, 2009. His death occurred just two months before the infamous orca attack that killed Dawn Brancheau at SeaWorld. Initially, the park described Martinez’s death as an accident, but an autopsy revealed the fatal injuries were consistent with an orca attack. Even more troubling, the park had previously claimed that a similar orca attack two years earlier was also an accident.
At 29, Alexis Martinez had three years of experience working with orcas. His partner, Estefanía Luis Rodriguez, described him as “handsome, generous, and funny,” but also revealed that he had voiced concerns about the orcas becoming increasingly violent and disobedient in the weeks leading up to his death. The autopsy showed shredded organs, a crushed chest, and bite marks, contradicting the park’s initial statement that there were no signs of violence.
One of the orcas involved in the incident, Keto, was a 6,600-pound male born in 1995 at a SeaWorld park. Having never seen the ocean, Keto had performed at various parks in the Canary Islands, Texas, San Diego, and Ohio. At the time of the incident, he was in his third year at Loro Parque, where four orcas, including Keto, were loaned from SeaWorld.
Martinez’s death occurred during a routine training session for a Christmas performance. During a “stand-on spy hop” trick, Martinez slipped into the water after Keto leaned to one side. After the trick failed, Martinez did not reward Keto and responded neutrally. Later, while working with another trainer, Keto was rewarded with fish for the same trick. Martinez continued working with Keto, riding him into the pool and attempting to slide onto the stage. However, Keto went too far, and Martinez had to swim back on his own. As Martinez swam toward the stage, Keto, distracted by another trainer, suddenly attacked. The orca submersed him, crashing into him and playing roughly with his body. Eventually, other trainers managed to get Keto into another pool, allowing them to recover Martinez, who had been fatally injured. Unfortunately, he passed away just months before Dawn Brancheau’s tragic death in a similar orca attack at SeaWorld.
This wasn’t the first orca attack at Loro Parque. In 2007, trainer Claudia Vollhardt was hospitalized after being attacked by an orca named Tekoa. During a training session, Tekoa unexpectedly dragged Vollhardt underwater by her arm. At the time, the park spokesperson called it an accident, stating that the orca didn’t bite her, even though she could have lost her arm.
The public has increasingly criticized marine parks since the 2013 release of the documentary Blackfish, which highlighted the dangers of keeping orcas in captivity. Captive orcas suffer from higher mortality rates and are often separated from their families and confined to small tanks, unlike their wild counterparts who roam vast ocean distances. In response to these concerns, the Whale Sanctuary Project is working to establish large coastal sanctuaries where rescued cetaceans, like Keto, can experience freedom while still receiving care from humans.
