• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Horrific final moments of SeaWorld trainer before killer whale 'tore organs'

Home> News> Animals

Published 19:11 27 Sep 2024 GMT+1

Horrific final moments of SeaWorld trainer before killer whale 'tore organs'

SeaWorld trainer Alexis Martínez had been working with Keto the orca in 2009 when the killer whale attacked and killed him

Kit Roberts

Kit Roberts

A SeaWorld trainer was brutally killed by a captive orca, suffering horrific injuries during the attack.

The orca was called Keto, a whale who was born in captivity and had never been released out into the wild.

Trainer Alexis Martínez had been working with orcas for several years prior to the incident and was a highly experienced handler.

But while training for a series of Christmas shows in December 2009, he noticed that something had changed in the orca's behaviour.

Advert

Martínez had been one of several trainers who were working with Keto that day, and had been performing an underwater routine.

Keto had not responded properly to the usual training mechanisms used with the whales.

This meant that another trainer had to intervene in the routine in an effort to save Martínez.

However this proved to be ineffective and Keto used the tip of his snout to pin Martínez to the floor of the pool.

Advert

Martìnez was killed during a training session (SeaWorld)
Martìnez was killed during a training session (SeaWorld)

Other trainers had desperately tried to remedy the situation and regain control over the orca.

Things seems to look up for a moment when Keto returned to the surface of the pool to breathe.

But the whale descended back down to the bottom of the pool where Martínez was.

Advert

Eventually trainers were able to use a net to separate the orca from Martínez, allowing them to finally retrieve his body from the tank.

Martínez was killed in the attack, sustaining multiple injuries.

A report into the cause of death said that he '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'.

Martínez is one of four people who are recorded as having been killed by orcas in captivity.

Advert

SeaWorld has been heavily criticised over holding captive orcas (Paul Harris/Getty Images)
SeaWorld has been heavily criticised over holding captive orcas (Paul Harris/Getty Images)

Keto was only involved in the death of one person, but one orca was involved in the deaths of three people.

This was Tilikum, a bull orca who was the subject of the Netflix documentary Blackfish.

Another of the four people to have been killed was trainer Dawn Brancheau who was killed during a live performance.

Advert

John Hargrove, a senior trainer at SeaWorld, said: "We'll never know why Tilikum made that choice to grab Dawn and pull her into the pool.

"He had a great relationship with her, and she had a great relationship with him. I do believe that he loved her, and I know that she loved him."

No fatal attacks on humans have been recorded by wild orcas.

Featured Image Credit: SeaWorld

Topics: News, World News, US News, Animal Cruelty, Animals

Kit Roberts
Kit Roberts

Kit joined UNILAD in 2023 as a community journalist. They have previously worked for StokeonTrentLive, the Daily Mirror, and the Daily Star.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

8 hours ago
9 hours ago
11 hours ago
  • 8 hours ago

    Hulk Hogan’s daughter Brooke reveals shocking reason she didn’t attend dad’s tributes

    Brooke Oleksy shut down previous reports that she and her late father were on bad terms

    Celebrity
  • 8 hours ago

    Expert reveals the 3 common names you should never give your baby for surprising reason

    All three are strong names that are popular today, but there's a reason why this expert doesn't think you should name your child them

    News
  • 9 hours ago

    James Gunn responds to Trisha Paytas naming baby ‘Aquaman’ following bizarre Ozzy Osbourne conspiracy

    DC Studios' co-CEO has reacted to the internet celeb having named her baby Aquaman - something she revealed on the day Ozzy Osbourne died

    Celebrity
  • 11 hours ago

    Fans spot Kelly Osbourne's 'subtle' tribute to dad Ozzy as she pays her respects during his procession

    The Osbourne family and the rest of the world are grieving the loss of a rock legend

    Celebrity
  • SeaWorld faces huge fine after trainer was injured by killer whale
  • Shocking moment SeaWorld killer whale drags trainer underwater and holds him there for 15 minutes
  • 'Beloved' lion is shot dead after being lured from reserve by trophy hunter in chilling $46k kill
  • 'Traumatic' moment whale defecates before splashing crowd with feces at SeaWorld