A heartbreaking incident shocked many when 28-year-old orca trainer Alexis Martinez was killed by a killer whale named Keto during a Christmas show rehearsal at Loro Parque’s Orca Ocean in the Canary Islands on December 24, 2009.

Martinez had voiced concerns weeks earlier, with his partner, Estefanía Luis Rodriguez, revealing he thought the whales were “becoming disobedient, disruptive, and aggressive.” Keto, a 6,600lb male born in captivity in 1995, was on loan from SeaWorld and had never seen the ocean.

During a stunt called a stand-on spy hop, Keto suddenly leaned sideways and “deliberately positioned himself between his trainer and the stage,” according to another trainer. Despite using standard control signals, Keto disobeyed and violently forced Martinez underwater.

Keto “used his rostrum – the tip of his snout – to push Martinez to the bottom where he violently played with his body.” Martinez was eventually recovered, but the damage was fatal.

The post-mortem report confirmed he died from “grave injuries sustained by an orca attack, including multiple compression fractures, tears to vital organs, and the bite marks of the animal.” The tragedy prompted SeaWorld to temporarily suspend in-water whale interactions at its parks.