Orca Keto Dies at Loro Parque
Keto, the orca, suffered a lifetime of exploitation and confinement to tiny tanks at various marine parks – now, he has died at only 29 years old.
He is one of four orcas to die at the notoriously cruel Loro Parque in recent years, following Ula, Kohana, and Skyla.
Who Was Keto?
Keto was one of the four orcas imprisoned at the notoriously cruel Loro Parque in Spain, where he died after apparently falling ill. He was shuffled between marine parks during his short life before being sent to Loro Parque in 2006. There, he was forced to perform meaningless tricks. Made to endure constant confinement in small tanks, Keto never had the chance to swim at great depths in the ocean or forge meaningful relationships with other pod members. Loro Parque and SeaWorld denied him any semblance of natural life.
Imprisoned Since Birth
Keto was born at SeaWorld Orlando in 1995 as a result of the company’s sordid orca breeding programme – an operation that has since ended following a vigorous PETA US campaign. His mother, Kalina, was the first orca born in captivity by SeaWorld’s breeding programme, and she died in 2010. Keto’s father, Kotar, died at SeaWorld when a tank gate came down and crushed his skull. Keto’s older brother, Keet, is still trapped at SeaWorld.
Torn From His Mother
In nature, orcas live in complex matriarchal social structures, and male orcas often stay with their mothers for their entire lives. In 1999, SeaWorld separated the four-year-old Keto from his mother and transferred him to SeaWorld San Diego. Soon after, the company sent him to SeaWorld Ohio, followed by SeaWorld San Antonio.
Bred With His Relative
In 2006, SeaWorld “loaned” Keto and three other young orcas – Tekoa, Kohana, and Skyla – to Loro Parque to use them to breed more orcas into captivity. Keto was bred with his niece, Kohana. His daughter, Vicky, died when she was only ten months old. Only one of Keto’s three calves, Adán, still used in shows at Loro Parque, is still alive.
Driven Insane From Confinement
When Keto, Tekoa, Kohana, and Skyla were sent to Loro Parque in 2006, SeaWorld was heavily involved in “managing” the orcas. It oversaw their care and training until 2009 when Keto killed trainer Alexis Martinez during a session that a senior SeaWorld trainer was reportedly supervising.
After that, SeaWorld tried to distance itself from Loro Parque. In 2018, SeaWorld finally relinquished ownership of the orcas – leaving Loro Parque to breed more orcas into a life of deprivation, contrary to SeaWorld’s corporate policy to end the practice. Three other orcas used as tourist props – Skyla, Kohana, and Ula – have all died in Loro Parque’s tanks since 2021.
When PETA US staffers visited Loro Parque, they took footage of Keto’s condition. As a result of unnatural behaviours such as biting on concrete, Keto’s teeth were entirely or partially worn down.
Keto was also seen aimlessly floating, likely out of boredom and anguish.
In the ocean, male orcas can live to be 60 to 70 years old. Only a handful of the more than 200 orcas imprisoned at marine parks have lived to 30.
This Is What Happens When Marine Parks Treat Animals Like Performance Props
SeaWorld and Loro Parque subjected Keto to a lifetime of deprivation – all so they could profit off his abuse. While it’s too late to help him, the orcas and other dolphins still suffering at abusement parks need you to act now.
Please urge TUI to stop promoting and selling tickets to marine parks abusing orcas like Keto:
