Spanish animal trainer Alexis Martinez worked with orcas at the Orca Ocean in Loro Parque, Canary Islands. On December 24, 2009, just two months before the tragic death of Dawn Brancheau at SeaWorld, Martinez was killed during a Christmas performance rehearsal. Initially, the park claimed his death was an accident, but the autopsy revealed that he died from the severe injuries inflicted during the orca attack. The park had previously labeled another orca attack, which occurred two years earlier, as just an accident.
At 29, Martinez had three years of experience training orcas. His partner, Estefanía Luis Rodriguez, described him as “handsome, generous, and funny,” and revealed that he had expressed concerns about his work with the orcas at Orca Ocean. He had mentioned that the orcas were becoming increasingly violent and disobedient in the weeks leading up to his death. The park initially stated there were no signs of violence on his body, but the autopsy revealed extensive injuries, including shredded organs, a crushed chest, and bite marks.
Keto, a 6,600-pound male orca born in 1995 at a SeaWorld park, was one of four orcas loaned to Loro Parque from SeaWorld. He had never seen the ocean and had performed at parks in the Canary Islands, Texas, San Diego, and Ohio. At the time of the incident, Martinez had been training Keto for a Christmas performance, where the trainer was supposed to balance on the orca as it performed a “stand-on spy hop.” However, when Keto leaned to one side, Martinez slipped into the water, and the trick failed. Martinez responded with a neutral cue, withholding any reward, but Keto was later given fish by another trainer.
Afterward, Martinez worked with Keto again, riding the orca into the pool and then attempting to slide onto the stage. But Keto swam too far, and Martinez had to swim back by himself. As Martinez tried to return to the stage, Keto seemed to obstruct his path. While distracted by a coworker, Martinez was instructed to swim toward another pool, but Keto immediately targeted him, crashing into him and submerging him. The orca played aggressively with Martinez’s body until other trainers were able to call Keto into another pool. They retrieved Martinez, but he had suffered fatal injuries and passed away shortly afterward.
This incident came just months before Dawn Brancheau’s tragic death at SeaWorld, which also involved a violent orca attack.
Earlier, in 2007, Claudia Vollhardt, a 29-year-old German orca trainer at Loro Parque, was hospitalized after being attacked by the orca Tekoa. While practicing a trick, Tekoa unexpectedly struck Vollhardt from underneath, biting her arm and dragging her under the water before releasing her. The Loro Parque spokesperson at the time downplayed the incident, claiming it was an accident because the orca “did not bite her,” though Vollhardt would have lost her arm if it had.
Since the release of the 2013 documentary *Blackfish*, marine parks have faced increasing public criticism for keeping orcas in captivity. These orcas have higher mortality rates compared to their wild counterparts, and they are often separated from their families, confined to tanks, and unable to travel long distances as they would in the wild. The Whale Sanctuary Project is working to create large coastal sanctuaries where rescued orcas, like Keto, can live in a more natural environment while still receiving care from humans.
