Horrifying footage revealed the moment that Seaworld trainer Ken Peters was dragged underwater and nearly killed by an Orca during a performance.
It's not an exaggeration to say that Orcas - also known as killer whales - are amongst the most frightening animals who inhabit our deep blue seas.
Growing as big as 26 feet in length and weighing as much as 5000kg, it's fair to say that you don't want to end up on the receiving end of an Orca attack. After all, there's a reason these creatures have gained a reputation over recent years for hunting Great Whites and terrorising fishing boats.
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The aquatic mammals don't fully lose their predatory nature in captivity either, with four trainers having been killed by an Orca. With three these deaths being caused by a single killer whale, named Tilikum.
One of the most famous incidents of Orca violence included a female named Kasatka, who dragged a trainer underwater and held him there for nine minutes in a horrifying ordeal, which was not only witnessed by a crowd but also captured on camera.
Kasatka had lived at Seaworld San Diego and on 29 November 2006 had been taking part in an evening show with trainer Ken Peters. The trainer had jumped into the water to perform a 'rocket hop' trick with the killer whale, however, this would go horribly wrong as the 2267kg (5000lbs) whale suddenly turned aggressive and dragged Peters to the bottom of the tank by his foot.
Watch the terrifying ordeal below:
The attack would last for around nine minutes in total and every so often Kasatka would return to the surface, allowing Peters the opportunity to desperately gulp in some air, before dragging him underwater once again.
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Peters would eventually be able to escape after Kasatka released him from her grasp for long enough for him to get away. The Orca would then attempt to follow Peters as he swam to safety.
Peters would survive the ordeal with a broken foot and puncture wounds.
What's more terrifying is the fact that this wasn't only the first time Kasatka had attacked a trainer at the facility, but not the first time she'd targeted Peters either, with a previous incident between the pair occurring in 1999.
Despite the horrifying ordeal, Peters would later state that he hadn't believed that Kasatka was trying to kill him, later telling Reuters: "I could get killed in a car accident today, but I still get in a car.
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"Even when I was down at the bottom of the pool, I thought she’d let me go."
Kasatka would later be put down in 2017, after she contracted incurable pneumonia. She was approximately 40 to 42 years old at the time.
Topics: Animals
Brenna Cooper