KETO the late killer whale spent his life in captivity being tormented and even forced to breed incestuously, resulting in the tragic killing of his trainer.
The 6,600-pound orca died on Tuesday aged 29 in Tenerife after facing years of cruelty in various sea parks.
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The Loro Parque zoo confirmed Keto’s death in a statement, saying a team of 21 vets conducted a necropsy over the weekend to determine the cause, though the results are not yet available.
Growing up in captivity
The orca, originally born at SeaWorld Orlando in 1995, had been transferred to Loro Parque in 2006, where he performed for crowds and was used for breeding.
Keto’s life began in captivity, born as part of SeaWorld’s controversial orca breeding programme.
His mother, Kalina, was the first orca successfully born in a SeaWorld park, while his father, Kotar, died tragically when a tank gate crushed his skull.
Keto was torn from his mother at just four years old and shuffled between several SeaWorld parks before being loaned to Loro Parque.
At Loro Parque, Keto was bred with his niece, Kohana, in an unnatural pairing that resulted in multiple calves.
Only one, Adán, survives today – his daughter, Vicky, died at just 10 months old.
Keto’s captivity is said to have taken a severe toll on his mental and physical health.
Animal rights groups documented him engaging in unnatural and harmful behaviours, such as chewing on concrete out of frustration, which severely damaged his teeth.
Like many captive orcas, he was often seen floating aimlessly, a sign of boredom and distress.
And on Christmas Eve 2009, Keto killed his trainer, 29-year-old Alexis Martinez, during a rehearsal for a Christmas show.
Keto’s victim Alexis Martinez
Orca trainer Alexis Martinez was already fearing for his safety when he climbed into a pool with Keto.
He had confided in his girlfriend “something could happen at any time” – and his fears came true.
Alexis was an experienced trainer, having worked with the animals for three years at Loro Parque in Tenerife.
He was described as “handsome, generous, and funny” by his partner Estefanía Luis Rodriguez.
And the trainer, 29, felt all was not well at the exhibit he worked at, Orca Ocean.
He had told his girlfriend the killer whales were becoming disobedient, disruptive and aggressive.
Despite his skill, years of experience and intuition in dealing with the enormous creatures, he was no match for the beast.
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Alexis had started his career in 2004 when he bagged a job at Loro Parque in Tenerife – one of only two parks in Europe to house killer whales.
Two years later, the park loaned four orcas from SeaWorld who were quickly thrust into a training regime for performances.
Accomplished trainer Alexis was instrumental in leading the marine mammals in rehearsals for an upcoming festive show.
He had been caring for a 6,600lb male – Keto – who had been flown over from the US after being born into captivity – never experiencing life in the open ocean.
During a morning session on December 24, according to a corporate incident report, Keto “appeared in a good mood”.
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.
The 29-year-old is said to have attempted to perform a stand-on spy hop, where he balances on the killer whale’s rostrum as it rises up and out of the water.
The orca trainer’s tragic death
Alexis’ life came to a gruesome end following a brutal attack by Keto – which was dismissed as an “unfortunate accident”.
The trainer took a tumble during the attempt of the stand-on spy hop as Keto leaned to one side.
He then tried the stunt again where he fell into the water again.
The trainer responded with a reinforcing scenario, giving a neutral reaction and withholding the reward, according to the report.
The 14-year-old killer whale was then rewarded with two handfuls of fish after he obeyed the commands of another trainer.
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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.
However, Keto had dived too deep into the 12-metre pool – forcing his trainer to abandon the move in the depths of the water.
After the pair surfaced, the orca “appeared to position himself between Alexis and the stage”.
The 29-year-old then waited for the animal to calm and requested a stage call via underwater tone.
His colleague Brian suggested that Keto did not appear “committed to remaining under control” and looked “a little big-eyed”.
The fellow trainer then instructed Alexis to swim slowly to another pool while he gave the killer whale a hand target.
Yet as Keto noticed his mentor was on the move, the three ton orca made a beeline for him – ignoring Brian.
The killer whale then hurtled towards Alexis, forcing him underneath the water with his huge beak for several minutes.
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.”
Frantic trainers desperately tried to call Keto to the surface, signalling him by slapping the water and banging a bucket.
After around 30 seconds had passed, the killer whale finally obeyed and discarded Alexis’ lifeless body at the bottom of the pool.
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The ‘violent’ killing of Alexis
As Keto took a quick breath and returned to inspect his victim, he brought him to the surface with his beak.
Other Loro Parque employees eventually managed to direct the gigantic orca into another pool, before retrieving his trainer’s body.
The 29-year-old had blood streaming from his nose and mouth while his colleagues hopelessly tried to revive him.
An autopsy report later found that Keto had slammed into Alexis with such force that it caused his chest to cave in.
It concluded that although the immediate cause of death was drowning, Alexis’ death had been “violent”.
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”.
SeaWorld and the Tenerife park’s reaction
SeaWorld temporarily suspended waterwork in all of its parks following his death, as did Loro Parque.
ut Alexis’ employers initially characterised the death as an “accident”, insisting his pummelled body showed no signs of violence.
They claimed he “was knocked by the orca in an unexpected reaction of the animal” while Keto was “shifting his position.”
Keto had in fact caused catastrophic internal bleeding.
In a cruel twist of fate, it later emerged Alexis had documented his concerns over the killer whales in his diary.
He wrote how Keto had displayed “controlling” behaviour with the three orcas – Tekoa, a male, and females, Kohana and Skyla – he had arrived from SeaWorld with.
Other investigations later revealed the killer orca had rammed Tekeoa on one occasion, leaving him bleeding.
On another, Keto had taken a chunk out of Kohana’s dorsal fin.
Alexis’ family have said they feel like they were “lied to” over his death – with Estefanía claiming she was at first told he was “fine” when contacted by the park, even though they knew he was already dead.
The park has however defended their handling of his death and insisted an incorrect information shared can “fairly be attributed to the nature of an emergency response”.
Condemnation of orca captivity
PETA and other animal welfare groups have long condemned the captivity of orcas, pointing to Keto’s life as a stark example of exploitation.
They criticised both SeaWorld and Loro Parque for subjecting him to a life of confinement in small tanks, depriving him of the ability to swim vast distances or form natural social bonds.
PETA also noted that Keto’s mixed genetic background—75% Icelandic and 25% Southern Resident orca—would never occur in the wild, as these populations are separated by vast distances and have distinct social structures.
Keto’s unnatural breeding and life in captivity, they argue, robbed him of a natural existence.
A spokesperson on behalf of Loro Parque said: “There is no truth to any of these absurd claims. Loro Parque has the highest standards of care in the world for all our animals.
“We are in mourning over the sad passing of Keto who lived for almost 30 years.
“PETA is an extremist protest group that has no scientific credibility and even attacks other genuine animal welfare charities.”
Loro Parque mourned Keto as a “beloved ambassador” who “captivated everyone with his unique personality.”
However, the zoo made no mention of the 2009 trainer death in its statement.
Instead, it emphasised the challenges of providing veterinary care for large orcas and highlighted Keto’s life expectancy, noting that 29 years is average for male orcas in the wild.
Critics, however, argue that captivity was the true cause of Keto’s early death. In the wild, male orcas can live up to 60 or 70 years.
MOST SAVAGE KILLER WHALE ATTACKS
KILLER whales, despite their name, have been involved in very few recorded attacks on humans – at least in the wild.
But when held in captivity, the majestic creatures can turn violent or even deadly.
On April 20, 1971, SeaWorld PR secretary Annette Eckis was supposed to ride an orca in a bikini for a publicity stunt.
But after a few moments, Annette slid off the creature’s back and Shamu seized her leg in her jaws.
She swam around the tank, dragging the screaming woman with her and refusing to release her.
Kasatka, a 30-year-old orca, was said to have been agitated by hearing her calf call out when she yanked Ken Peters and pulled him underwater at the attraction in San Diego, California.
The trainer was held underwater twice by the 5,000lb beast as it grabbed his foot and dived down for less than a minute each time.
Kasatka eventually let him go but he suffered a broken foot and puncture wounds.
The body of 27-year-old Daniel Dukes was discovered covered in scratches and bruises, draped over Tilikum, the largest killer whale in captivity.
Dukes had suffered hypothermia and drowned after he had stayed in the park past opening hours.
It is still uncertain whether he jumped, fell or was pulled by Tilikum into the huge tank.
- Dream job ends in tragedy
Dawn Brancheau, 40, a veteran animal trainer, had always dreamed of working at SeaWorld Florida.
But on February 24, 2010, she was tragically killed by an orca in front of horrified tourists.
SeaWorld said that Tilikum, a 26-year-old male, grabbed her by the upper arm, tossed her around in his mouth and pulled her beneath the water
