Newspapers offered a detailed description of the incident which is far away from the version that Loro Parque gave to the news agencies. The attack happened at the pre-show warm up in one of the back pools, when the killer whale crashed into the trainer, puncturing her right lung and breaking her forearm in two places. She was rescued by two colleagues after the animal had dragged her down to the bottom of the pool. It is believed that the animal involved is male. The four killer whales living at the facility were transferred from Sea World facilities in Orlando and San Diego.

Injuries to trainers by marine mammals, especially captive killer whales, are becoming more frequent, however these incidents are not widely reported. In 1991 a group of killer whales at Sealand of Victoria, Canada held a trainer underwater until she drowned. In 2004, a young killer whale hit his trainer at Sea World San Antonio and held him underwater, while last November, a killer whale grabbed a trainer and pushed him under water during a show at Shamu Stadium, tearing a ligament in the his left ankle.

‘Marine mammals, just like any other wild animals in captivity have complex behavioural and psychological needs that simply cannot be met in captive facilities’ says Janja Novak, Campaigns Development Officer. "All four killer whales at Loro Parque were captive born, and what these incidents tell us is that despite being born in captivity they are intrinsically wild animals that are difficult to control when subjected to the stress and frustration of being confined. With attacks on trainers becoming more and more frequent, surely the time has come to accept that these highly social marine mammals do not belong in a captive environment and more can be learned and appreciated about the species by watching these animals in the wild."