A 50-year-old man is filmed making a belly splash right at an orca and its calf in New Zealand. His behavior has been described as “disgraceful” and “pathetic”, reports say Sky News.
The footage has sparked strong reactions on social media after the New Zealand Department of Conservation posted the clip on Instagram, where several users have expressed their anger.
Was punished after the measure
The man has been fined around SEK 4,000 for what happened off the coast of Devonport in Auckland in February – but many think that a stricter punishment would be justified.
“This is appalling behavior and the ignorant lack of respect for nature is heartbreaking,” writes one user.
The orca also had a calf with him and in the video clip people can be heard cheering the man on before he starts swimming towards the orcas in a second attempt to reach them after he jumped in. At one point in the video the man shouts: “I touched it” to the others on the boat.
Investigator: An idiotic behavior
Investigator Hayden Loper criticizes the man’s irresponsible behavior and believes that it could have ended really badly.
– This is idiotic behavior and shows a shocking lack of consideration for the killer whales. It is a very clear violation of the law, he says according to Sky News.