If there was ever a reason not to sit in the “splash zone,” this is it.
Theme parks have offered trained animals as entertainment for as long as there have been theme parks. Although the trend is slowing down due to the more modern mindset of what is appropriate and inappropriate treatment of animals, some parks continue to offer this type of show.
SeaWorld, of course, has offered shows featuring trained marine life for years. After a trainer was tragically killed by a trained killer whale in 2010, the chain of parks has committed to phasing out orca shows. This generation of orcas will be their last. However while their current generation of whales are still here, the shows go on.
Sea World boasts 4 parks – in the U.S., there’s one each in San Diego (they have 8 killer whales), San Antonio (5 killer whales), and Orlando (5 killer whales). There’s also a Sea World in Abu Dhabi.
Sea World San Antonio offers a show called Orca Encounter. They describe it as:
Killer whales are the perfect ambassadors for the ocean. Limitless, powerful, connected…but still vulnerable. Now, SeaWorld invites you to connect in an inspiring new way with the ocean’s most powerful predator. Discover the importance of play for orcas and dive deeper into their masterful hunting techniques. Learn about SeaWorld’s commitment for the killer whales in our care. You’ll witness thrilling natural orca behaviors and learn more about them than ever before. Orca Encounter will leave you with a deeper understanding of these magnificent animals and will inspire you to care even more profoundly for the wonders of our natural world.
Learning is fundamental, but let’s face it – the show still features orcas doing tricks.
Meanwhile, a TikTokker named Alex Bermudez was at Sea World San Antonio and caught video of, well, something you don’t want to be a part of at an orca show – the splash zone became the poop zone.
The video starts with the orca diving at the very edge of its clear-walled enclosure. Mid-descent, the killer whale very obviously takes a dump, leaving a brown cloud of whale poop behind.
The audience’s reaction is precisely what you’d think, varying between laughter and “Ewwww.” The little boy in front of Bermudez even turned around and asked, “Did it poop?”
But the whale wasn’t done
As the good book says, “everybody poops.” So a whale pooping in its enclosure is something that probably happens on a regular basis. But what happened next? Not so much.
The whale swam back around, flipped its tail and splashed a wave of brown-tinged water onto the crowd sitting in the theater’s “splash zone.”
One guest in the splash zone was heard to say, “We expected to get wet sitting so close, but not like that. It smelled awful, and people were gagging.”
Here’s the video:
@alexbermudez506 DUDE!!! This whale wants to SIT, but also want to spash his S#IT on us🤮! #gross #SA #funny #viral #fyp
The aftermath
SeaWorld says that people who got splashed with whale poop were offered soap, bottled water and towels, as well as an offer to buy clean clothes in the gift shop.
“We regret this unfortunate event and are taking every step to ensure the safety and comfort of our guests,” the theme park said in a statement. “Our team followed established protocols to minimize health risks and will review our procedures to prevent this from happening again.”
Hey, here’s an idea! It won’t happen again if you don’t force whales to perform.
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
