In December 2009, tragedy struck at Loro Parque, a popular animal park in the Canary Islands, where Spanish animal trainer Alexis Martinez worked with orcas. At just 29 years old, Alexis was known for his passion for animals, his sense of humor, and his generous nature. He had spent three years training orcas at the park, specifically at the Orca Ocean exhibit.

But on Christmas Eve that year, during a practice session for an upcoming holiday performance, Alexis’s life was tragically cut short.

At first, the park claimed that Alexis’s death was an unfortunate accident, but the truth came out later. An autopsy revealed that Alexis had been attacked by one of the park’s orcas, Keto, resulting in fatal injuries. This wasn’t the first time something dangerous had happened at Loro Parque. In fact, a similar incident had occurred two years earlier, but at the time, the park had dismissed it as just another accident.

The Orca: Keto

Keto, the 6,600-pound male orca involved in the attack, was born in 1995 at a SeaWorld park. He had never seen the ocean and had performed at parks in the Canary Islands, Texas, San Diego, and Ohio before being transferred to Loro Parque. Keto, along with three other orcas, had been loaned to the park by SeaWorld. By the time of the tragic attack, Keto had been performing at Loro Parque for three years.

Alexis’s partner, Estefanía Luis Rodriguez, revealed that Alexis had voiced concerns about the orcas’ behavior in the weeks leading up to his death. He had noticed that the killer whales, including Keto, were becoming more violent and unpredictable. He even described them as “disruptive” and “disobedient.” Despite these concerns, Alexis continued to train and perform with the orcas, doing his best to keep the shows going.

The Fateful Training Session

On that day in December, Alexis was working with Keto on a routine for the Christmas performance. One of the tricks involved the orca emerging from the water while Alexis stood on his back. But something went wrong during the performance.

Keto leaned to one side, and Alexis slipped into the water. As per the training protocol, Alexis didn’t reward Keto for the mistake and gave him a neutral response. After working with another trainer, Keto eventually received a fish as a reward for completing the trick correctly.

Later, Alexis attempted another technique where he would ride Keto into the pool and then slide onto a stage. But this time, things took a dangerous turn. Keto went too far, and Alexis found himself struggling to catch up with the orca. At one point, it seemed like Keto was purposely blocking his way to the stage.

Alexis’s Last Hours

As Alexis tried to navigate the pool, Keto’s behavior became increasingly aggressive. While Keto was distracted by another trainer, Alexis was told to swim carefully to another pool. But out of nowhere, Keto attacked. The orca charged at Alexis, crashing into him and dragging him under the water.

It wasn’t just an accident—it was a brutal and deliberate attack. The other trainers quickly called Keto into another pool, allowing them to recover Alexis’s body. Tragically, it was too late. Alexis had been fatally injured, and he passed away in front of his colleagues.

This incident happened just months before Dawn Brancheau, another well-known orca trainer, was killed at SeaWorld in February 2010. It was clear that something was seriously wrong with the relationship between orcas and their trainers, and the tragic deaths of these two trainers would change the way the world viewed marine parks forever.

The Previous Attack at Loro Parque

This wasn’t the first dangerous incident at Loro Parque. In 2007, German trainer Claudia Vollhardt was attacked by the orca Tekoa while practicing a trick in the Orca Ocean exhibit. Claudia had been working on a routine where Tekoa would push her feet with its snout while they swam together.

However, instead of completing the trick, Tekoa struck Claudia from underneath, caught her arm in its jaws, and dragged her under the water. She was lucky to survive the attack, but she was left with serious injuries. Despite the severity of the incident, Loro Parque claimed that it was just an accident, saying, “The whale did not bite her.”

The Bigger Picture: SeaWorld’s Demise

After the release of the 2013 documentary Blackfish, marine parks like SeaWorld came under intense scrutiny. The film highlighted the dangers of keeping orcas in captivity and how these animals often suffer in tanks far smaller than their natural ocean homes. Orcas in captivity have higher mortality rates than those in the wild, and they are kept in solitary tanks, separated from their families.

The Blackfish documentary and the deaths of trainers like Alexis and Dawn Brancheau sparked a global conversation about the ethics of animal captivity. As a result, some organizations, such as the Whale Sanctuary Project, have been working to create large coastal sanctuaries where orcas and other marine animals can live freely, while still receiving care from humans.

The story of Alexis Martinez is a heartbreaking reminder of the risks faced by animal trainers, as well as the dangers of keeping wild animals in captivity. While the orcas at Loro Parque were once admired for their intelligence and beauty, their violent behavior ultimately led to tragedy.

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