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.
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.
-
China: Xi seeks to fill America’s voidFeature Trump’s tariffs are pushing nations eastward as Xi Jinping focuses on strengthening ties with global leaders
-
Rebrands: Bringing back the War DepartmentFeature Trump revives the Department of Defense’s former name
-
Supreme Court: Will it allow Trump’s tariffs?Feature Justices fast-track Trump’s appeal to see if his sweeping tariffs are unconstitutional
