A man who jumped from a boat onto an orca has been slapped with a fine.
Footage on social media showed the 50-year-old man jump from a pleasure boat into the sea off the coast of Devonport, Auckland in New Zealand.
Investigating officers said the incident appears to be a deliberate effort to touch or “body slam” the orca.
The New Zealand Department of Conservation was tipped off to a video of the incident by a member of the public.
The man was captured diving onto the creature
DOC
DOC Principal Investigation Officer Hayden Loper 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.
“This is stupid behaviour and demonstrates a shocking disregard for the welfare of the orca.
“It is extremely irresponsible.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The man’s actions have been described as “stupid”
DOC
“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.
“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.”
The man was hit with $600 infringement for the incident.
DOC marine science staff say there have been incidents in which wild orca have been perceived to have attacked humans, including recent incidents off the coast of Spain, where orca have sunk several small vessels.
Any sudden moves near orca significantly risk the chance of people being harmed.
A spokesperson from the DOC said: “Orca are an apex predator and the species’ population found around the waters of New Zealand is estimated to be between 150 and 200 individuals.”
They added: “Disturbance by vessels, including recreational boats, is identified as a threat to orca due to noise pollution and boat strike.”