A New Zealand man thought it would be a brilliant idea to body slam a killer whale — but the stunt was not only dumb but also seriously irresponsible, and he’s now paying the price.
Check out the clip — the man goes full WWE … launching himself off a boat near the coast of Auckland and landing inches from an adult orca and its calf.
As you can see … the 50-year-old daredevil, who hasn’t been identified, yells out in delight he touched the orca and eagerly asks his boatmates if they caught his wild encounter on camera.
As he tries to touch the orca again, the folks on the boat are no better — laughing and cheering him on like it’s the highlight of their day.
After a concerned citizen alerted the Department of Conservation to the clip, principal investigation officer Hayden Loper said it left officials genuinely stunned.
In a statement Tuesday, they said his behavior showed a shocking disregard for the orca’s welfare, adding it was illegal to swim with these powerful animals who weigh 12,000 pounds or more.
TMZ.com
They noted things could have ended badly if the animal was aggravated or spooked — so the man seriously dodged a bullet!
The incident actually went down in Feb, and is making a comeback online ’cause the man has officially been hit with a fine of 600 New Zealand dollars, roughly $365.
Launch Gallery
Getty/Instagram
Quite the price to pay for a moment of misguided adventure, huh?
