The 28-year-old had been employed at Loro Parque’s Orca Ocean in the Canary Islands, working closely with orcas.
On December 24, 2009, during a rehearsal for a Christmas show, Martinez was fatally attacked by an orca named Keto. This tragic incident occurred just two months prior to the death of Dawn Brancheau, a trainer with 14 years of experience, who was also killed by an orca. According to Martinez’s partner, Estefanía Luis Rodriguez, he had expressed concerns about the orcas’ behavior in the weeks leading up to the incident, noting that they were becoming increasingly disobedient, disruptive, and aggressive.
Keto, a 6,600-pound male killer whale born in captivity in 1995 at a SeaWorld park, had never experienced life in the ocean.
The incident unfolded when Martinez attempted a stand-on spy hop, a maneuver where the trainer balances on the orca as it rises out of the water. However, Keto tilted to one side, and as reported by another trainer, it appeared that the orca intentionally positioned himself between Martinez and the stage. Martinez was directed to gradually move to another pool, while other trainers employed techniques that had previously been effective with killer whales, but Keto did not comply. Instead, he used his rostrum—the tip of his snout—to force Martinez down, playing roughly with his body.
Eventually, the trainers regained control of the orca and retrieved Martinez’s body, but he had sustained severe injuries, including internal bleeding, which ultimately led to his death.
The autopsy revealed that Alexis Martinez died from severe injuries inflicted by the orca attack, including multiple compression fractures, tears to vital organs, and bite marks from the animal.
In the aftermath of Martinez’s death, SeaWorld temporarily suspended in-water interactions with whales at three of its parks. Please share this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
