The passing of Alexis Martinez on December 24, 2009, sent shockwaves through the animal training industry.
Alexis Martinez’s story serves as a solemn reminder in animal training. It highlights risks associated with powerful marine creatures.
A tragic event occurred on December 24, 2009, resulting in the loss of life for Spanish trainer Alexis Martinez at Loro Parque.
An incident involving the orca, Keto, took place.
Subsequently, Martinez was experienced in working with killer whales at Loro Parque’s Orca Ocean. He was well aware of the dangers.
However, during a Christmas show rehearsal, the unexpected happened when Keto, a SeaWorld-owned orca, viciously attacked Martinez.
Let’s explore the autopsy report of Alexis Martinez to gain further insight into the tragic incident.
The life and death of Alexis Martinez
Loro Parque, a zoo located on the outskirts of Puerto de la Cruz in Tenerife, is home to a variety of animals, including killer whales.
In 2004 and 2005, Loro Parque dispatched eight animal trainers to SeaWorld parks in Texas and Florida to participate in training.
In February 2006, Loro Parque acquired four SeaWorld orcas and maintained regular contact between the two parks.
By December 2009, SeaWorld had leased Keto, along with three other killer whales, to Loro Parque.
Martinez was just 29 years old when he lost his life during a Christmas show rehearsal.
Keto, one of the orcas he had trained, dragged him beneath the water’s surface and subsequently struck him in the chest.
The attack resulted in severe internal bleeding and ultimately proved fatal.
The initial characterization of the incident by the park as an accident was later found to be misleading, as the autopsy report revealed the extent of the injuries sustained by Martinez.
Alexis Martinez autopsy report
The autopsy report for Alexis Martinez indicated that he died as a result of grave injuries sustained in an orca attack.
This included multiple compression fractures, tears to vital organs, and bite marks on his body.
The report further revealed that Keto had not been responsive to operant conditioning signals given during the training session.
While Keto appeared calm on the surface of the pool, he positioned himself between Martinez and the stage. Martinez waited for Keto to calm down and requested a stage call (underwater tone).
Keto responded and another trainer received him at the stage.
When Martinez began swimming, Keto started moving towards him and ultimately engaged him by pushing him to the bottom of the pool with his rostrum.
Despite efforts to regain control over Keto, Martinez was attacked and ultimately sank to the bottom of the pool.
Safety
The death of Alexis Martinez highlighted the inherent risks involved in water work with orcas.
The Canary Islands Ministry of Work and Immigration recognizes this and believes that the only preventive action is to prohibit this activity.
Following Martinez’s passing, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment temporarily suspended all waterwork in its parks before resuming it shortly afterwards.
However, Loro Parque permanently ceased all waterwork with killer whales.
The death of Alexis Martinez was a tragic reminder of the inherent dangers of working with orcas.
The incident prompted a review of safety protocols in the animal training industry and raised questions about the ethics of keeping killer whales in captivity.
Hopefully, the lessons learned from this incident will help prevent similar tragedies in the future.
