SeaWorld San Antonio guests were left with a terrible taste in their mouths after a killer whale splashed feces on them during an orca show performance.
Videos by Suggest
The entire ordeal was caught on camera. In the clip, the killer whale is seen swimming around and preparing to do its next trick.
However, just as it was making its way across the tank, the animal noticeably pooped. It continued on and within a few seconds, reappeared and jumped. Upon landing, the feces water splashed everywhere, including on numerous SeaWorld San Antonio guests.
Whale takes a shit at Sea World San Antonio, crowd gets splashed right after pic.twitter.com/vw3kjoG89U
— Dallas Texas TV (@DallasTexasTV) October 19, 2024
Immediately after the incident, SeaWorld San Antonio quickly led impacted guests to a designated decontamination location. They then received bottled water, soap, and towels. All of which were used for cleaning off the killer whale feces.
In addition to the cleaning supplies, impacted guests were also able to purchase clean clothes from the park’s gift shop and use the park’s bathing facilities.
SeaWorld San Antonio also issued an apology for the killer whale incident. “We regret this unfortunate event and are taking every step to ensure the safety and comfort of our guests. Our team followed established protocols to minimize health risks and will review our procedures to prevent this from happening again.”
“It was shocking. We expected to get wet sitting so close, but not like that. It smelled awful, and people were gagging,” Samantha King, a SeaWorld guest who witnessed the killer whale incident, recalled per Times Now News.
How Harmful is Killer Whale Feces? A Marine Expert Weighs in
Dr. Lisa Brown, a marine expert stated that while whale feces contains germs and illnesses, the risk appears to be low. “There are still some concerns,” she explained.
She also stated that parasites found in killer whale feces could be harmful to humans. “Direct contact with feces can be dangerous, especially for those with compromised immune systems or open wounds. It’s vital to prevent direct contact with whale excrement because they can contain pathogens.”
According to National Geographic, among the bacteria found in other killer whales’ body parts are Salmonella and Staphylococcus. Both of which were discovered in blowholes.
“These animals spend a fair amount of time in ecosystems close to urban environments,” Brad Hanson, who oversees orca recovery for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told National Geographic in 2017.
“Because of runoff, either directly or indirectly, there are a variety of things that may be getting into their system.”