Man fined $600 for "body slamming" an Orca

a reply to: TheMisguidedAngel

I'm confused, both the subtitles on the movie, and the text in the link story says "adult MALE orca' so where did you get mother and baby from???

The guy was a prick for doing it though, although 'body slam' was a bull# click bait description for what he actually did...dived into the sea close to a wild and potentially dangerous, large mammal.

*Edit
The fine seems reasonable now, for being stupid, not harming any animals...lol Pierce Brosnan got a $500 fine for straying off a designated path in Yellowstone, just as stupid if you don't know the environment!🤣

originally posted by: quintessentone

originally posted by: JadedGhost
a reply to: quintessentone

Maybe, but there’s plenty of idiots out there who’ve probably done similar and just not posted it on social media, yet still no recorded attack on humans from by killer whales… like why? They’re predators and literally attack other animals just for the sport of it, but not humans.

I just find it fascinating.

We are not discussing that, wee are discussing one idiot feeling safe enough to body slam a female orca with a baby. I want to see him try that on an orca stallion and see what happens, hmm?

First, male Orca are called "Bulls" not stallions.

Second, most orca bulls rarely if ever meet their offspring. If they do happen to meet their offspring they do not recognize them as such. A male orca will remain with the pod he is born into for life. In other words, he will remain with his mother for her entire life. Orcas know that because of this they must breed with females from another pod to prevent in-breeding. So, a male will only breed with a female from a different pod when two or more pods are in the same vicinity. After this, the male will likely never see the female and/or his offspring ever again.

So, there is no paternal protection of a young orca by its father.

That said, male orca do protect their pod, and the females and offspring within it. This is protection of the mothers and siblings (i.e. like aunts, mothers, brothers and sisters). But, because humans do not hunt orca, orca generally don't perceive humans as a threat. Sharks and other predators aren't so lucky, and orca will regularly kill sharks.

It's interesting about the growing number of attacks on boats by orcas recently. The orca do apparently perceive these vessels as threats and so they attack. What's most interesting about these attacks is the orca attack not just in general, but rather a specific part of a vessel, the rudder generally. I'd say that's pretty smart. Easiest way to disable a vessel is by disabling the rudder.

What an asshole. I hope his boat gets sunk by the mother orcas pod in revenge. What an loser. If a mother orca and her baby showed up at my boat, Id be feeding them fish and enjoying a friendly conversation with them. Not trying to body slam them like stupid redneck trying to impress his sister.

a reply to: burritocat

While orcas don't generally attack humans that's not the same thing as saying orcas are 'friendly' with humans. In my experience, orcas pretty much ignore humans altogether. Short of an aquarium type environment, I've never heard of wild orcas socializing with humans and/or accepting food from humans.

A person's best bet is to steer well clear of a pod of orcas. They are powerful animals easily capable of disabling and/or destroying small craft without even realizing it. We're talking about an animal which weighs upwards of 5 to 6 tons, is 8 to 9 meters in length, and is capable of swimming in excess of 70kph. Additionally, they are capable of propelling their entire body out of the water up to 5 meters into the air. That's a lot of power to be messing around with.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
Exactly why I think the fine was reasonable for being stupid, just a pity the whole story has been distorted like social media does....making out #1 that there was any harm, or risk of harm to the large wild animal, #2 that he "body slammed' the large animal, when he clearly dived near it, and #3 that it was an emotionally wounding story of a "mother and baby" when all text in the video and the link write-up says MALE orca.

A 500 quid fine is more than reasonable, just for being stupid...similar to the multitude of low value fines designed to deter stupid people from doing stupid stuff lol

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: burritocat

While orcas don't generally attack humans that's not the same thing as saying orcas are 'friendly' with humans. In my experience, orcas pretty much ignore humans altogether. Short of an aquarium type environment, I've never heard of wild orcas socializing with humans and/or accepting food from humans.

A person's best bet is to steer well clear of a pod of orcas. They are powerful animals easily capable of disabling and/or destroying small craft without even realizing it. We're talking about an animal which weighs upwards of 5 to 6 tons, is 8 to 9 meters in length, and is capable of swimming in excess of 70kph. Additionally, they are capable of propelling their entire body out of the water up to 5 meters into the air. That's a lot of power to be messing around with.

I live in the Pacific Northwest, on the Puget Sound, and we have our own resident pod of orcas that attract alot of whale watchers. Ive been out on the water and have seen them up close. I know how big they get. They swim up to boats alot here. My uncle once had a couple swim up to his boat, and he gave them salmon. One of them returned with an old buoy in his mouth, like he was giving my uncle a present thanking him for the fish. Like the way crows give people little bits they find as presents. My uncle kept it until he died.

Orca pods have their own cultures and different attitudes. Each one is pretty different.

a reply to: burritocat

Well, that's pretty cool, but I'd also say your uncle's experience is also pretty rare. Though I think your assessment of what happened with the buoy is probably exactly right. Pretty interesting, for sure!

Most of my experiences with them have been up in southern Alaska and BC. So, I'd imagine the pods further south might be a little more socialized with humans just due to the proximity, population densities and increased traffic.

Very cool though.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: burritocat

Well, that's pretty cool, but I'd also say your uncle's experience is also pretty rare. Though I think your assessment of what happened with the buoy is probably exactly right. Pretty interesting, for sure!

Most of my experiences with them have been up in southern Alaska and BC. So, I'd imagine the pods further south might be a little more socialized with humans just due to the proximity, population densities and increased traffic.

Very cool though.

Thats probably it. The Puget sound is much more densely populated and has alot more boat traffic, so the resident pod is pretty used to people. Their diet is almost exclusively salmon and other fish. They even sometimes will "play" in front of the tourists.

My uncle was awesome. he was a navy vet and life long sea dog, and held a spiritual reverence for the sea and its residents. he had all sorts of stories. He lived here most his life and spent his time a lot on the water, and had all sorts of stories. Like, once he was on his boat and an otter climbed on board and was trying to get in his cooler where he had some smoked mussels and oysters to snack on with his beer. He ended up sharing his beer and shellfish with the otter, to got a little drunk and decided to take a nap, then left. I bet he had one hell of a story to tell his otter buddies when he got home!

a reply to: burritocat

Unfortunately, I don't have any good Pacific stories with whales and/or otters (love otters BTW).

I did get into a tug-of-war with an alligator once though, over a fish, but that was in the Gulf of Mexico. I was going to do an Atomic Drop on his ass to get my fish back, but by that time he'd jacked it up too badly to mount. Damn gator stole my fish!

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: burritocat

Unfortunately, I don't have any good Pacific stories with whales and/or otters (love otters BTW).

I did get into a tug-of-war with an alligator once though, over a fish, but that was in the Gulf of Mexico. I was going to do an Atomic Drop on his ass to get my fish back, but by that time he'd jacked it up too badly to mount. Damn gator stole my fish!

I'd take orcas over alligators anyday. If an alligator swam up to my boat, I definitely wouldnt be offering him any fish or share my beer and oysters. Body slamming a gator is like the most Florida Man thing ever. Im surprised gator wrestling isnt a state sport there. When I read this article my first thought when I heard a dude body slammed an orca, i thought this has got to be in Florida. Was surprised it wasnt.

Some day I hope to visit Florida so I can observe Florida Man in his natural habitat doing Florida Man stuff. That appeals to me way more than Disney World.

I think instead of fining him, the government ought to fly him to Durban and make him do the same with some of the sharks.
Or Gibraltar and get him to try it with some of those Orcas that have been wrecking yachts.

a reply to: SprocketUK
Why do you think his life should be seriously put at risk for his punishment?
No animal was actually harmed, or even at risk of being harmed.
He didn't body slam the animal.
The article text, and the video subtitles state it was a MALE orca, so no extra emotional trauma like making out he was targeting a poor vulnerable "mother and baby" such as the OP alleged.

The guy was a stupid prick yes, but no harm or loss actually caused...I'm glad you ain't a magistrate or a judge!!!🤣

originally posted by: AdultMaleHumanUK
a reply to: SprocketUK
Why do you think his life should be seriously put at risk for his punishment?
No animal was actually harmed, or even at risk of being harmed.
He didn't body slam the animal.
The article text, and the video subtitles state it was a MALE orca, so no extra emotional trauma like making out he was targeting a poor vulnerable "mother and baby" such as the OP alleged.

The guy was a stupid prick yes, but no harm or loss actually caused...I'm glad you ain't a magistrate or a judge!!!🤣

How do we know no harm was done?
He could have had a virus or something and given it them or caught something and infected the rest of humanity. What psychological harm might he have done to these whales?
It's only recently we stopped hunting whales for lamp oil, idiots like this need to be frightened out of doing harm to animals that are just living their lives.
Yeah it is a good job I'm not a judge, I'd be a proper hanging judge if ever there was one

a reply to: SprocketUK
Actually did make me laugh out loud then fella!!!

a reply to: SprocketUK

I could have been a Judge. But I didn't have the Latin. You need Latin for the judging.

a reply to: Oldcarpy2
No way!
I only did law to A level, and the legalese was difficult enough lol
...so, what would be your sentence/ruling for this flagrant Whale-worrier in the OP?
Crappy fine paid off at ten quid a week, or prison in our already overcrowded system?!🤣

a reply to: AdultMaleHumanUK

"You will be taken from here to a place of execution where you be hanged by the neck until you are very dead indeed. May God have mercy on your soul. Only kidding, 100 hours Community Service".

a reply to: Oldcarpy2
Pmsl!
That's actually much more sensible and a pain in the arse for the whale worrier, especially if he is actually gainfully employed.
NOBODY is discouraged from being a prick by small fines, they're like parking tickets, more of an occupational hazard or a tax really.
Litter picking beaches or parks would be much better, especially if they had to wear some outfit of shame lol


ETA
I'd have him sieving sand for cigarette butts, micro plastics etc, after he'd picked all the obvious litter/trash up - 8hr day, half hour lunch...pity our courts can't issue sentences like US judges seem able to do!

a reply to: AdultMaleHumanUK

Thing that boils my pish is the discount on sentencing for pleading guilty even when caught red handed and guilty as Hell.

a reply to: AdultMaleHumanUK

I'd have them mucking out the Penguins at the Zoo. Penguin poo really stinks!