His death came just a year after SeaWorld announced they were ending their breeding program following years of campaigners railing against them. Alexis post-mortem stated he had "died due to grave injuries sustained by an orca attack, including multiple compression fractures, tears to vital organs, and the bite marks of the animal on his body". Chillingly, the captive whale killed his trainer and then refused to release her body. Alexis Martinez, age 29, had worked at Loro Parque since 2004. How long have Keir Starmer and Sue Gray been secretly cooking up their plot? The secret WhatsApp mode that lets you EDIT texts after you've sent them, Revealed: The new '23' number plates the DVLA deems offensive and has banned including EU23 OFF and GO23 HEL. The park has the world's largest indoor penguin exhibition and the longest shark tunnel in Europe and is one of only two parks in Europe to house killer whales. But that is one trip this beac. "La orca "Keto" s atac y caus la muerte de Alexis, el adiestrador del Loro Parque", "Uno de los responsables de las orcas reconoce la "agresin" de "Tekoa" en 2007", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Death_of_Alexis_Martnez&oldid=1142284921, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 15:23. Three years later, a SeaWorld-born killer whale named Keto killed a trainer named Alexis Martinez at Loro Parque in the Canary Islands on Christmas Eve 2009. Other Loro Parque employees eventually managed to direct the gigantic orca into another pool, before retrieving his trainer's body. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. Just three years after his final move something in Keto snapped and he launched a terrifying and fatal attack on one of his trainers, Alexis Martnez. His colleague Brian suggested that Keto did not appear "committed to remaining under control" and looked "a little big-eyed". Chillingly, four years before her tragic death, 10 years ago today, Dawn had spoken out about the dangers of working with orcas. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. After the pair surfaced, the orca "appeared to position himself between Alexis and the stage". A hopeful Alexis then opted to attempt a haul-down into stage haul-out - meaning he would ride the orca down into the pool and up onto the stage. He was skilled, experienced and intuitive when it came to the enormous, majestic creatures. The shocking video depicting a killer whale dragging and dunking a trainer at SeaWorld San Diego went viral and was aired by all major news networks in the U.S. and abroad. Keto was flown to Tenerife from the US with three other SeaWorld orcas - Tekoa, a male, and females, Kohana and Skyla. Martinez was an experienced trainer, having worked with the animals for three years at Loro Parque in Tenerife. And the trainer, 29, felt all was not well at the exhibit he worked at, Orca Ocean. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Alexis attempted a stand-on spy hop, a move where the trainer stands on the killer whale's rostrum, or the tip of its beak, as it rises up and out of the water. Sign up to the Daily Star's newsletter. . The report describes multiple cuts and bruises, the collapse of both lungs, fractured ribs and sternum, a lacerated liver, severely damaged vital organs, and puncture marks "consistent with the teeth of an orca". The trainer responded with a reinforcing scenario, giving a neutral reaction and withholding the reward, according to the report. The 29-year-old had worked with orcas for several years and was used to handling the gigantic beasts. Oscar Cainer tells all. Spotting Alexis was on the move, Keto headed towards him. Seconds later, Keto carried out his killer move. He said Brian had a small incident with Keto the first hour of the morning, adding that it was a very bad day for Keto. Dawn's shocking death made headlines around the world, calling into question how ethical keeping whales in captivity is - with much speculation focused on Tilikum's treatment and life. Orca Ocean assistant supervisor Rafael Sanchez, in his testimony to investigators, said: "The animal in question moved towards him and hit him and violently played with his body.". 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The 29-year-old then waited for the animal to calm and requested a stage call via underwater tone. The fellow trainer then instructed Alexis to swim slowly to another pool while he gave the killer whale a hand target. Brian attempted another hand target but Keto left control and engaged [Alexis] by pushing him to the bottom with his rostrum. Keto himself has fathered several calves during his time as one of the main attractions at Loro Parque in the Spanish resort, several of whom have come to tragic ends. 408 But he took a tumble as Keto leaned to one side, before trying the stunt again - when he again fell into the water. . Frantic trainers desperately tried to call Keto to the surface, signalling him by slapping the water and banging a bucket. Heartbreakingly, his death came exactly two months before SeaWorld trainer, Dawn Brancheau was killed in front of thousands of spectators at the attraction in Orlando, Florida. But when Keto, a 6,600lb male, turned on him, he could offer little in the way of a defence. [1] By December 2009, SeaWorld had leased four killer whales to Loro Parque.[2]. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Dawn and Alexis known each other from her time at Loro Parque. Dawn's shocking death made headlines around the world, calling into question how ethical keeping whales in captivity is - with much speculation focused on Tilikum's treatment and life. He was killed during a Christmas show rehearsal when he was attacked by one of the orcas, Keto. Born in 1995 to Kalina, who herself was the first orca to be born in a SeaWorld theme park, Keto has also sired several calves while in captivity. Keto was directed to another pool before Alexis's body was recovered from the pool. Russian dictator, 70, ANDREW NEIL: What's REALLY going on in Boris Johnson's head - and why I'd advise Rishi Sunak to sleep with Find out what Uber drivers really think of you! The animal in question moved towards him and hit him and violently played with his body. He then came to the surface with the trainer's limp body across his beak. Days later, he wrote: All the animals are bad. Tilikum died in 2017 after facing serious health issues, including a persistent and complicated bacterial lung infection. Other investigations later revealed the killer orca had rammed Tekeoa on one occasion, leaving him bleeding. But on Christmas Eve, 2009, Keto reacted in a way that had never been seen by his trainers before - and Alexis paid the ultimate price. Eventually, after 30 seconds, the killer whale obeyed, leaving Alexis at the bottom of the pool. For other inquiries, Contact Us. This video tells the heartbreaking story of Alexis Martinez, an experienced orca trainer who lost his life in a tragic incident at Loro Parque's Orca Ocean. But, then on Christmas Eve, 2009, the huge orca reacted in a way that had never been seen by his trainers before - and Alexis paid the ultimate price. Alexis joined the orca in the pool while another trainer, Brian Rokeach, positioned himself on the stage, while several other members of staff mulled around. Alexis Martinez was running through a performance with a 6,600lb killer whale called Keto when the enormous creature turned on him, launching a brutal attack in front of the 29-year-old's fellow trainers News By Jon Livesey Deputy Editor-in-Chief (Digital) 10:25, 16 JUN 2022 Updated 10:11, 17 JUN 2022 Sorry, the video player failed to load. 'Derek fights on, it makes me fall in love with him all over again:' Kate Garraway reveals there are days A possum feared extinct is discovered by an amateur naturalist in Papua New Guinea being cooked on a My weekly horoscope: What will March 4th 2023 bring for MY star sign? Next, Keto was reportedly rewarded with two handfuls of fish after he obeyed another trainer's call to a shallow ledge across the pool from the stage. The killer whale then hurtled towards Alexis, forcing him underneath the water with his huge beak for several minutes. On Christmas Eve, 2009, trainer Alexis Martnez was attacked and killed by orca, Keto, at Loro Parque in Tenerife - the whale had spent the whole of his life in captivity. Alexis waited for calm from Keto and requested a stage call via underwater tone.". He was described as "handsome, generous, and funny" by his partner Estefana Luis Rodriguez. She bent over the tank's edge to rub Tilikum when his behavior suddenly changed and he pulled her into the water by her ponytail. I was a Love Island bombshell and here's what you DON'T see in the villa: Jay Younger reveals how much is Meet the female airline pilot who has turned the 'dumb blonde' stereotype upside down and taken social media JAN MOIR: Goodbye Ken, the world always seemed safer with you on the airwaves, Abstaining from masturbating RAISES risk of anxiety, depression and erectile dysfunction, study warns. [2] : Tr. In 1962 off Bellingham a male orca attacked a boat towing a female on a rope, that had been live-captured for an oceanarium. Dry day for Kohana.. BEL MOONEY:Why does caring for my dad take over my life? His life came to a gruesome end following a brutal attack by Keto - which was dismissed as an "unfortunate accident". They said Alexis "was knocked by the orca in an unexpected reaction of the animal", explaining that the whale's behaviour "did not correspond to the way in which these marine mammals attack their prey in the wild, but was rather a shifting of position.