Deadly SeaWorld Orca Has Died, Theme Park Confirms - Inside the Magic

The documentary highlights a rare but chilling reality: fatal killer whale attacks on humans. Of the four incidents, three involved Tilikum, the notorious orca who died at SeaWorld Orlando in 2017. The fourth stemmed from an attack by Keto, another orca once associated with the Florida park.

Keto’s Fatal Attack

Born in 1995, Keto spent the first four years of his life at SeaWorld Orlando before being relocated to SeaWorld San Diego in 1999 due to a streak of rebellious behavior. He later moved to the now-closed SeaWorld Ohio (the land for which was sold earlier this year), then SeaWorld San Antonio, before being leased to Loro Parque, thousands of miles away in Tenerife, Spain.

Keto was described as extremely dominant—to an unusual degree. During his time at all four parks, a series of behavioral incidents involving his trainers occurred.

The most major, however, occurred in 2009, when he killed 29-year-old trainer Alexis Martínez during a training session for the park’s Christmas special. Keto pulled Martínez underwater, ramming him in his chest. While the park initially claimed that Martínez’s body showed no signs of violence, the autopsy report later revealed that he died due to serious injuries inflicted by Keto, including multiple compression fractures, tears to vital organs, and bite marks.

After the incident, SeaWorld temporarily paused water work between trainers and orcas (something that was later axed for good in the wake of Dawn Brancheau’s death when she was attacked by Tilikum in Orlando a few months later). Loro Parque axed the activity for good.

Loro Parque Announces Keto’s Death

This week, Loro Parque has sadly announced Keto’s death.

A statement from the park claimed that Keto “served for years as an extraordinary ambassador of his species, captivating everyone with his commanding presence and unique personality.”

It added that “there are no words to express the depth of this loss for the whole of our Loro Parque team, particularly for the trainers and vets who shared their daily lives with Keto. The relationship that develops between our animals and all those who work at Loro Parque goes beyond the professional, becoming a deep bond filled with love and mutual respect.”

While the park didn’t mention Martínez’s death in the statement, it did stress that Keto lived a standard lifespan for an orca. “Keto lived for almost 30 years before his sad passing,” it said. “Studies show that the average life expectancy for males in the wild is 29 years, placing Keto within the average for his species.”

The Push to End Orca Captivity

Multiple calls have been made in recent years to axe the practice of keeping orcas in captivity. While SeaWorld has ceased its orca breeding program, it’s extremely unlikely that its orca residents will ever be released back into the ocean. This is due largely to the fact that—having spent most, if not all, of their lives in tanks—acclimatizing to the wild would prove extremely stressful.