4 min read
Keto the orca suffered a lifetime of exploitation and confinement to tiny tanks at various abusement parks—now, at only 29 years old, he’s dead.
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. During his short life, Keto was shuffled between marine parks before being sent to Loro Parque in 2006, where he was forced to perform meaningless tricks and used as a breeding machine, and endured constant confinement in small tanks. Keto never had the chance to swim great depths in the ocean or forge meaningful relationships with other members of his pod—Loro Parque and SeaWorld denied him any semblance of a natural life.
Don’t let Keto’s death be just a number on the long list of animals who have died at marine parks—learn his story, and then take action.
Imprisoned Since Birth
Keto was born at SeaWorld Orlando in 1995 as a result of the company’s sordid orca breeding program—an operation that has since ended following a vigorous PETA campaign. His mother, Kalina, was the first orca to live after being born at a SeaWorld park. 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—male orcas often stay with their mothers for life. 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.
There are several “ecotypes” of orcas around the world, each with distinct dialects, behaviors, social groups, and foraging techniques. Keto—reportedly 75% Icelandic and 25% Southern Resident—never knew his own culture. In fact, his cultural makeup would likely never happen in nature: Icelandic and Southern resident populations are on completely different sides of the world.
Bred With His Relative
In 2006, SeaWorld “loaned” Keto and three other young orcas—Tekoa, Kohana, and Skyla—to Loro Parque so that it could use them to breed more orcas into captivity. Keto was bred with his own niece, Kohana. His daughter, Vicky, died when she was only ten months old. Only one of Keto’s three calves is still alive: Adán, who is still used in shows at Loro Parque.
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, including overseeing their care and training—until 2009, when Keto killed trainer Alexis Martinez during a session that a SeaWorld senior trainer was reportedly supervising.
After that, SeaWorld apparently 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.
When PETA staffers visited Loro Parque, they took footage of Keto’s conditions. As a result of unnatural behaviors such as biting on on concrete, Keto’s teeth were completely 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 who’ve been imprisoned at marine parks have lived to the age of 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.
More than 40 orcas and over 500 other dolphins and whales have died in SeaWorld’s barren tanks, many of them prematurely, and those who remain can do little but swim in circles and lash out at each other in frustration. Please urge SeaWorld to send all dolphins and whales to seaside sanctuaries:
