Man fined after footage shows dangerous attempt to 'body slam' orca: 'It was a deliberate attempt to get likes and views on social media'

The Department of Conservation fined a New Zealand man after videos surfaced of him leaping into the water, deliberately harassing protected orcas.

What's happening?

The video, shared by the Guardian, shows a 50-year-old man jumping off a boat into the ocean, directly into the path of two orcas. One of the orcas is an adult male; the other is a calf. 

The man can be heard yelling, "I touched it," and asking, "Did you get that?" He even doubles back, attempting to touch the orcas a second time.

It shocked officials, who condemned the attempted "body slam," per the Guardian. Hayden Loper, a DOC principal investigator, summed it up: "The video speaks for itself; it is shocking and absolutely idiotic behavior."

After identifying the man, the Department of Conservation fined him 600 New Zealand dollars (around $370) for infringement.

Why is this harmful?

The New Zealand orca is highly endangered — the population is estimated at no more than 200, according to Fisheries New Zealand. 

Because of their "nationally critical" status, regulations have been in place since the Marine Mammals Protection Regulations of 1992, per the Department of Conservation. It declares swimming within 100 meters of marine mammals, including orcas, a national offense.

The law states that: "In addition to swimming, it is an offense to harass, disturb, injure, or kill marine mammals … [with] a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment or a fine to maximum of NZ$250,000."

Loper told the Guardian that the man's behavior was "a very clear breach" of the law. And while many people breach the law by accident, he said this example was "a real blatant example."

"For him to jump into the water deliberately and swim up to the orca [and] to make sure that it was filmed … it defies belief."

What's being done to prevent similar incidents?

Officials worry that, while social media can help identify the perpetrators, others may attempt a similar stunt for viral attention.

"It was a deliberate attempt to get likes and views on social media," said Loper. "What's also really disappointing is not just the actions of the individual but those in the boat … they are encouraging this behavior."

In the video, other people could be heard laughing and cheering even though the man was putting both himself and the orcas in danger. 

Hannah Hendriks, the DOC's technical adviser, said that orcas have easily damaged, sensitive fins and that a sudden splash could also scare them into a deadly propeller. Fortunately, this pair appeared unscathed. 

Hendriks also said: "Interacting with pods can disturb their natural behaviors … which can have long-term impacts on survival and breeding success.

"In particular, disturbance of a pod with a calf presents a risk of separation of the calf from the rest of the pod … this can end up with the calf starving, stranding, and ultimately dying."

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