All we learn about trainers killed by orcas after struggling horrific accidents
Need to know
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT Keto the killer whale has died aged 29 at Loro Parque in Tenerife. The orca was born at SeaWorld Orlando in 1995 and spent his entire life in captivity
His body was covered in bite marks
What you need to know about the horrific deaths of trainers at SeaWorld and Loro Parque
- Orca trainer Alexis Martinez suffered a horrific death when killer whale Keto turned savage at Loro Parque in the Canary Islands on Christmas Eve 2009. The 29-year-old’s body was found at the bottom of the pool covered in enormous bite marks after the 6,600lb whale forced him underwater using his snout. A post-mortem revealed Alexis “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”.
- Keto had been born in captivity at SeaWorld in 1995 and never experienced life in open waters. The whale began acting erratically during training, refusing to perform his routine before launching the deadly attack.
- Just two months later, SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed by orca Tilikum in front of horrified tourists. Senior trainer John Hargrove said: “We’ll never know why Tilikum made that choice to grab Dawn and pull her into the pool.” Dawn was dragged underwater and suffered catastrophic injuries including a severed spinal cord and broken bones. Tilikum held her body for 45 minutes before staff could retrieve it.
- Both killer whales died in captivity – Keto in 2024 aged 29, the same age as his victim Alexis. Animal rights group PETA condemned Keto’s “lifetime of exploitation and confinement to tiny tanks”.
- Following these tragedies, SeaWorld ended its captive orca breeding programme and shifted focus to rescue operations.
- READ THE FULL STORY: Horrifying injuries of trainer killed by orca – ‘organs ripped open and bones broken’
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