ANIMAL lovers are up in arms after a “stupid” adrenaline-junkie was recorded “body slamming” a killer whale.
The man, 50, was seen standing on a boat off the New Zealand coast before he hurled himself on top of the creature in front of jeering pals.
Disturbing footage of the Auckland resident was posted on Instagram in February and it has whipped the internet into a frenzy.
The shocking act was later reported the clip to the Department of Conservation and the man was fined £470 ($600).
Disturbing footage showed the cruel thrill-seeker launching off the side of a boat into the sea off the coast of Devonport, where two whales were swimming.
First a large fin appears in the water as the man prepares to jump.
He swings his arms back and forth and crouches down, preparing to belly-flop onto the unsuspecting animals.
Suddenly, he throws his entire body into the water and body slams into the sea as alarmed pals scream in shock.
A huge splash can be seen following the impact of his horizontal body hitting the water and the whales appear to be frightened as they thrash around and dive away.
The man bobbed in the water before swimming back towards the boat as two of his friends cheered him on.
He yelled, “I touched it”, to other people on the boat, then asked “did you get it?”, apparently referencing capturing his reckless antics on camera.
One of his pals, sporting red swim shorts, laughs at the camera while holding a half-empty bottle of beer in his hand.
Another man is spotted reaching towards the water’s surface, in what appears to be an attempt to bait the creatures back to the group of men.
Following the video being reported, the Department of Conservation principal investigation officer, Hayden Loper, said it displayed a shocking attitude towards protected marine animals.
He said: “The video left us genuinely stunned.”
“As well as the initial attempt to dive onto the animal, the man stays in the water and then swims toward it again in a second attempt to touch it.”
Orcas are immensely powerful animals, and this really could have ended horribly
Hayden Loper
Loper called the act “extremely irresponsible,” adding, “this is stupid behaviour and demonstrates a shocking disregard for the welfare of the orca”.
The unnamed man was fined a staggering $600 (£470) for the incident which ‘really could have ended horribly,’ according to Loper.
He was identified through the help of police and allegedly refused to speak or provide an explanation when Loper and another colleague went to his home to talk to him about the incident.
He said: “Orcas 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.
“It’s a very clear breach of the Marine Mammals Protection Act.
“Orca are classified as whales under conservation legislation and it is illegal to swim with whales, or disturb or harass any marine mammal.”
Loper urged social media users to continue alerting the Department of Conservation to content posted online they believe breaches legislation protecting New Zealand wildlife.
“This is the third case in recent years in which social media content has led to a successful prosecution for DoC and we greatly appreciate the tip-offs we get from the public,” he said.
But he added that this was the first time that a person had jumped in the water on or near an orca, filmed it, and then posted it on social media.
“We often get tip-offs from members of the public about stuff posted on social media in relation to actions around marine mammals, but only a boat or a jet ski getting too close, or a drone flying too close, and other stuff like that,” he concluded.
