In a dreadful incident, a dolphin suddenly turned rogue and viciously attacked its trainer in the water much to the horror of spectators at the Miami Seaquarium who had come to watch the show.
BREAKING: This chilling video shows a dolphin attacking a trainer, tossing her body violently through the water, & reportedly sending her to the hospital.
Time is up for @MiamiSeaquarium—it must send the animals to seaside sanctuaries! pic.twitter.com/YN27DGygZe
— PETA (@peta) April 12, 2022
A video of the incident, which took place on Saturday, was shared on Twitter shared by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals or PETA.
According to New York Post, the clip was originally filmed by photographer Shannon Carpenter, who was attending the show.
The video shows the dolphin diverting from its choreography and lunging violently at the trainer who frantically swims away to escape the animal’s wrath. She was then taken to hospital from the sprawling venue in an ambulance.
According to the Washington Post, the trainer did not receive any serious injuries.
Park officials said in a statement that the dolphin, named ‘Sundance', became spooked after running into the trainer. "This was an uncomfortable interaction for both of them and the dolphin reacted by breaking away from the routine and striking the trainer," the statement added
However, the incident has raised questions about the ethics of keeping dolphins in captivity and making them perform for audiences at such water parks.
The Dolphin Project, a non-profit organisation for dolphins, also stated that the incident goes to show that dolphins and other whales do not belong in captivity. It added that keeping dolphins in captivity poses “inherent risks” for both dolphins and their trainers.
