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Watch: Man jumps into water to ‘body slam’ orcas, fined after shocking video goes viral
A video of a man “body slamming” two orcas has gone viral. Many have urged the authorities to give strict punishment to the accused.
A video of a man jumping from a boat with the intention of landing right on top of two orcas has gone viral on social media. Following this, the Department of Conservation, New Zealand, took notice of the matter and slapped the man with a $600 fine. They also shared the viral video on Facebook that shows the act, which now many netizens are labelling as “abuse.”
“A man who leapt from a boat into the water near two orcas has been slapped with a $600 infringement. The incident showed a shocking and stupid attitude to protected marine mammals. The video shared to Instagram in February, shows the man jump from a boat into the sea off the coast of Devonport – in what appears to be a deliberate effort to touch or “body slam” the orca,” the department wrote on Facebook.
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They added in the following lines that the man’s reckless behaviour shows disregard not just for his own safety but also for the members of the oceanic dolphin family.
Take a look at the footage:
The video was shared a few days ago. Since then, it has accumulated nearly 38,000 views. The share has also collected many comments.
What did Facebook users say about this shocking video?
“Release the guy's name. He deserves public humiliation too,” demanded a Facebook user.
“600 dollars? What a joke. Should have taken their boat,” added another.
“He should get prison time for this,” joined a third.
“It's important to always respect wildlife and never engage in such behaviour. The consequences could have been disastrous. The man could have harmed the orca, or the orca could have reacted in self-defence and caused harm to the man. While it's improbable for orcas to attack humans in their natural habitat, it's also not common for people to belly-flop onto orcas. Make smart choices,” wrote a fourth.
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‘Why not prison?’ - asked netzines, the department replied:
Many social media users believed that the man should have faced imprisonment, not just a fine. In response, the Department of Conservation clarified that an “ infringement notice” was issued to the offender as he had not previously received compliance action. Furthermore, the incident did not result in “significant harm or disturbance to the orca involved.”
“Anyone charged with harassing, disturbing, injuring or killing a marine mammal could face a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment or a fine to a maximum of $250,000.” the department added.
