SeaWorld has responded to footage of orcas allegedly attacking each other, the Daily Star has reported.
A visitor to the theme park in San Diego captured the video, which appeared to show two killer whales engaging in an underwater scuffle.
In the clip, two orcas can be seen thrashing about in the water, before one appears to beach itself on the tank's ledge. In the background, a child is heard saying: "How is the orca still alive?"
The visitor, who recorded the footage told PETA:"We all immediately saw blood soaking the water which triggered my 9-year-old daughter to start crying [...] Every couple seconds two more orcas would jump out of the water to continuing [sic] attacking the hurt orca."
The footage led to PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman calling for the USDA to investigate SeaWorld "for holding animals in conditions so stressful they would lead to horrific attacks".
Check out the footage below (warning - some people may find this video distressing):Reiman also called for "families to stay away from any park that imprisons orcas or other animals".
Now, a spokesperson for the theme park has refuted the footage and provided an explanation for the animals' behavior.
Speaking to the Daily Star, the spokesperson said: "The video released by PETA is misleading and mischaracterized. In fact, it shows common orca behaviors exhibited by both wild populations and those in human care as part of natural social interactions."
"During the interaction, one of the orcas sustained some minor and superficial abrasions that pose no serious health risk. Numerous scientific papers have been published about these behaviors among wild orcas," the spokesperson concluded.
However, PETA was far from convinced. In a formal complaint to the US Department of Agriculture against SeaWorld, PETA alleged that one of the animals had been seriously injured during the attack, despite SeaWorld's claims that the wounds were superficial.
"The wound appears to extend past the epidermis into the adipose or muscular tissues and will require medical treatment, including antibiotics and topical wound care and/or bandaging, in order to prevent infection and aid in proper healing," the organization stated in their complaint.
Contradicting SeaWorld's statement to the Daily Star, PETA continued: "The orca can be seen in the video beaching themselves which is a highly unnatural behavior and appears to be the only way for the distressed orca to get away from their aggressors."
The disturbing incident occurred just one day after another orca died after being in captivity at SeaWorld for 21 years.
The killer whale, named Nakai, was reportedly suffering from an infection, and despite "aggressive therapeutic and diagnostic efforts", he was unable to be saved.
Per KPBS, the park said in a statement: "His contributions to helping improve the health and survival of whales in the wild cannot be underestimated and will never be forgotten."
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