There has been a lot of debate in recent years about the use of animals in captivity. Seaworld is a good example, because they often use workers and other marine mammals that do much better if they are not in captivity.
This was seen in a rather horrific way because a 6600-pound male orca, Keto, did something that was unthinkable to anyone who had ever worked with him.
It happened in 2009 on Christmas Eve when the 29-year-old trainer was working together with the male orca for a Christmas show. The trainer, Alexis Martinez had been working with Wales for a few years prior to this incident.
On this particular evening, the orca started to behave unusually and did not execute some of the moves correctly. Martinez then tried a move where the trainer stands on the tip of the beak and the orca brings the trainer out of the water. Keto did it, but leaned to the side and the trainer fell off.
After this happened again, the trainer did something known as a least reinforcing scenario. It was a neutral response and they withheld the prize. After the orca was rewarded for following another trainer’s call, he attempted it again.
This time, he did a move where the ortho would give him a ride into the pool and up onto the stage. At that point, however, Keto went too deep and Martinez had to abandon the move near the bottom of the pool.
Keto surfaced and Alexis seemed to be okay, but then the orca positioned himself between Alexis and the stage. According to another trader, the orca did not seem ‘committed to remaining under control’ and looked a little big-eyed.
After Keto calmed down, Martinez started to float over to a ramp that led to another pool. When Keto saw him moving, he attacked his trader, taking them to the bottom of the pool and then violently playing with his body.
Trainers tried to get the orca’s attention but it was about 30 seconds later before the orca resurfaced with the trainer’s lifeless body. They were able to take the orca to another pool and recover Martinez’s body.
There was some speculation as to what had happened, but Martinez had expressed some concern previously in his diaries. According to the autopsy, he had ‘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”
The orca is still performing down to this day.