“The video left us genuinely stunned.”
Killer Move
A New Zealand man, probably drunk out of his mind, did an ungraceful belly flop from a boat in an attempt to “body slam” an adult male orca swimming next to the vessel, NBC News reports.
In an Instagram video of the incident, which happened back in February, the man flops into the water, almost missing the orca, popularly known as a killer whale, and a calf swimming near it, the news outlet reports, while other people on the boat laugh and egg him on.
At one point, he swam back to one of the orcas to touch it, as seen in the video.
The incident concerned other people out and about in the Devonport suburb of Auckland, where it occurred, according to a statement from New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DOC). Somebody then sent a tip about the video to government officials, who tracked the man down and fined him $365 in American dollars.
Orca vs Man
“The video left us genuinely stunned,” DOC Principal Investigation Officer Hayden Loper said in the statement. “This is stupid behavior and demonstrates a shocking disregard for the welfare of the orca. It is extremely irresponsible.”
“Orca are immensely powerful animals, and this really could have ended horribly — with either the startled whale being injured, or the man responsible being harmed by the aggravated animal,” he added.
Under New Zealand law, orcas are protected animals, and people are forbidden from swimming with, disturbing or harassing them, along with whales and other marine species, according to the DOC.
Boats and orcas have made big headlines lately, with the killer whales attacking vessels in numerous incidents. The most recent occurrence involved a pod of orcas sinking a yacht this month near the Strait of Gibraltar.
So it seems this New Zealand man is exceedingly lucky he came away with just a fine because this orca — which could weigh more than 13,000 pounds — could have fin slapped him into an entry for the Darwin Awards.
More on orcas: Experts Say Killer Whales Are Teaching Each Other to Attack Boats
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