Keto, the killer whale born in 1995, has never experienced the freedom of the ocean. Instead, he has spent his entire life entertaining crowds at a water park in Tenerife.
His mother, Kalina, nicknamed 'Baby Shamu,' made history as the first orca born in a SeaWorld theme park.
Throughout his life, Keto has fathered three calves: Adán, Victoria, and Ula.
Keto's performances have taken him across the globe, from water parks in San Diego, Ohio, and Texas to his current home in the Canary Islands.
After his last performance, Keto tragically launched a brutal attack on a trainer.
Trainer Death In Gruesome Accident As SeaWorld Orca Crushed Him And 'Violently Played With His Body'Described as 'handsome, generous, and funny' by his girlfriend, Alexis Martínez was an experienced trainer.
At 29 years old, Martínez worked with animals at Loro Parque in Tenerife, accustomed to dealing with massive predators.
Reportedly pivotal in leading marine mammals through rehearsals, Martínez harbored concerns.
Reportedly, he confided in his girlfriend, expressing fears that 'something could happen at any time', as reported by The Sun.
"My job is especially risky, and I really need to be well rested and ready," he reportedly said.
Martínez's apprehensions would tragically materialize on Christmas Eve, 2009.
Trainer Death In Gruesome Accident As SeaWorld Orca Crushed Him And 'Violently Played With His Body'Initially, it seemed like any other day as Martínez and Keto, owned by SeaWorld, commenced work on the Christmas show in the training pool.
As per a corporate incident report, the massive orca initially seemed to be in good spirits.
However, Keto's behavior soon took a troubling turn.
Reportedly, Keto failed to execute several moves correctly, though he remained seemingly calm while floating on the pool's surface with the trainer.
Staff members have since asserted that on that fateful day, Keto deliberately positioned himself between his trainer and the stage.
As the underwater stage call sounded, Martínez commenced swimming, with Keto pressing into him.
Trainer Death In Gruesome Accident As SeaWorld Orca Crushed Him And 'Violently Played With His Body'Another trainer, not Martínez, attempted to use controls that had always effectively communicated with the killer whales. However, Keto remained unresponsive, persistently pushing Martínez to the pool's bottom using his rostrum.
According to Orca Ocean assistant supervisor Rafael Sanchez, speaking to investigators (via The Sun): "The animal in question moved towards him and hit him and violently played with his body."
Recognizing the escalating danger, the observing trainer initiated several additional signals in an attempt to regain control of the situation.
Initially, this appeared to have some effect.
Keto surfaced momentarily, taking a breath, but swiftly descended back to Martínez.
In a horrifying turn of events, witnesses on site then observed Keto resurface with the 29-year-old trainer balanced on the tip of his rostrum, mouth closed, as reported by the Mirror.
After being released, Martínez sank to the pool's bottom.
Trainers made urgent attempts to coax Keto into another pool, but he reportedly resisted, instead engaging in play with the gate.
Martínez's body was retrieved when a net was lowered into the pool, prompting Keto to swim into adjacent water.
Trainer Death In Gruesome Accident As SeaWorld Orca Crushed Him And 'Violently Played With His Body'Tragically, the 29-year-old had sustained severe injuries, including internal bleeding.
Martínez's post-mortem report concluded that he succumbed to severe injuries inflicted by an orca attack, including multiple compression fractures, organ tears, and bite marks from the animal.
Following the incident, Keto has been labeled as 'frustrated and dangerous' by The Whale Sanctuary Project.
Just a few months after Alexis Martínez's death, SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau was fatally attacked at the age of 44 by her orca partner, Tilikum.
While traditionally orcas are not considered dangerous to humans, there are no documented instances of orcas intentionally harming humans in the wild, as stated by Business Insider.
The term 'killer whale' originates from their prowess as hunters of other whales, not as predators of people, notes Discover Wildlife.
