A 50-year-old thrill-seeker sparked outrage after being filmed ‘body slamming’ a killer whale by belly flopping onto it from a boat off New Zealand while his pals cheered him on.
The video of the cruel act showed the Auckland man, who was later fined $600 for his actions, jumping off the side of a boat into the sea off the coast of Devonport, where two orcas were swimming.
The disturbing footage was posted to Instagram in February and stirred up anger among animal-loving viewers who later reported the clip to the Department of Conservation.
In the minute-long video, the sea creature’s fins can be seen poking out from the water as they relax and appear unbothered in their natural habitat.
The man, donning black swimming trunks, can be seen gearing up for the launch as he balances on the edge of the boat and peers into the water below.
An Auckland man, 50, was filmed attempting to ‘body slam’ an orca whale off the coast of Davenport, New Zealand, in February
Shocking footage captured the moment his body hit the water close to where two whales were swimming before they disappeared
He swings his arms back and forth and crouches down, preparing to jump directly onto the pair of apex predators.
Suddenly, he launches his entire body into the sea while holding his arms stretched out in front of him as he body slams into the water.
A huge splash can be seen following the impact of his horizontal body hitting the water and the orcas appear spooked as they thrash around and disappear.
The cruel man can be seen bobbing in the water and swimming back towards the boat while two of his pals cheer him on.
The man yelled, ‘I touched it’, to other people on the boat, then asked ‘did you get it?’, in apparent reference to the filming of his antics.
One of his pals, donning red swimming shorts, laughs at the camera while holding a half-empty bottle of beer in his hand.
Another man is spotted dipping his fingers into the water’s surface, in what seems like an attempt to bait the creatures back to the group of men.
The 50-year-old who plunged into the orca’s space then swims back towards the black and white creatures which had cautiously approached them again.
The pair of predators were filmed swimming in circles around the man who did not seem fazed by his reckless and dangerous actions.
Following the video being reported, the Department of Conservation principal investigation officer, Hayden Loper, said it displayed a shocking attitude towards protected marine animals.
After seemingly scaring off the apex predators, the man’s friend could be seen dipping his fingers into the water, seemingly attempting to bring the orcas back to the group
After a while, the pair of orcas returned to the group, and the man who jumped into the water was still seen swimming around
The man was filmed trying to reach out and touch the creatures even after his cruel ‘body slam’ act
‘The video left us genuinely stunned,’ he said.
‘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.’
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 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 address to talk with him about the incident.
‘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 said.
‘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.
However, he said 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.’