A New Zealand man has been fined over a social media video in which he tries to “body slam” an orca swimming next to his boat, in what officials called “stupid” and “extremely irresponsible” behavior.
In a video the Department of Conservation says was shared to Instagram in February, the 50-year-old Auckland man, whom authorities did not name, jumped off the boat into waters off the coast of the Auckland suburb of Devonport, where an adult male orca and calf were swimming nearby.
The man yells “I touched it” to the other people on the boat and then asks “Did you get that?” in an apparent reference to whether his encounter with the orca was successfully filmed. He then tries to touch the animal again. Other people aboard the vessel can be heard laughing and cheering in the background.
What is interesting is that orcas pass knowledge on to their young and absorb everything. They genuinely have learned behavior. I wonder if this interaction will be passed on.
deleted by creator