When orcas attack
The week's news at a glance.
San Diego
A 17-foot-long, 5,000-pound killer whale pinned a trainer to the bottom of a 36-foot-deep tank during a performance at San Diego’s SeaWorld Adventure Park last week. Ken Peters suffered a broken foot in the attack by Kasatka, a 30-year-old female orca, or killer whale. Peters was to ride Kasatka to the surface and then dive off her nose. Instead, the whale grabbed Peters’ foot in her mouth and twice dragged him under the water before he coaxed her to release him. Killer whales, said whale researcher Ken Balcomb, can be dangerous in captivity, because “they’re big, and sometimes they’re not happy with their situation.” The day after the attack, Kasatka was back performing for SeaWorld visitors, though without a trainer on his back.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why social media is obsessed with cortisol
In The Spotlight Wellness trend is the latest response to an increasingly maligned hormone
-
Peter Mandelson called Epstein his 'best pal' in birthday note
Speed Read The UK's ambassador to Washington described the late convicted paedophile as an 'intelligent, sharp-witted man'
-
A Spinal Tap reunion, Thomas Pynchon by way of Paul Thomas Anderson and a harrowing Stephen King adaptation in September movies
the week recommends This month's new releases include 'Spinal Tap II,' 'One Battle After Another' and 'The Long Walk'