A spectator filmed the moment a dolphin attacked a trainer at Seaquarium in Miami, Florida, during a show Saturday.
Photographer Shannon Carpenter of Kentucky captured video of the incident while attending the “Flipper Show” with his family, WPLG reported. Carpenter, who shared the video on his TikTok, spoke with the outlet and recounted the nerve-wracking moments when the dolphin named Sundance attacked the trainer.
“One trainer that was furthest away in the video either kept getting hit by the dolphin or pulled down by the dolphin,” Carpenter said.
“The kids were cheering and thinking this was neat. You could tell the adults knew something was wrong,” he added.
Eventually, the trainer, who has not been identified, made it out of the water and was visibly shaken up, according to the footage and Carpenter. She was transported via ambulance to a local hospital, according to WPLG.
On Wednesday, the Seaquarium provided the outlet with a statement, which reads in part:
While demonstrating a practiced behavior as part of the Flipper Show on April 9th, a trainer accidentally scratched the dolphin, Sundance, with her hand. This was undoubtedly painful to Sundance, who reacted by breaking away from the routine and swimming towards and striking the trainer. Both Sundance and the trainer are recovering well.
Veterinarian Dr. Jenna Wallace, who formerly worked at the Seaquarium, told WPLG that the collision was not an accident but rather a sign of aggression. Wallace noted that she heard through the grapevine that the trainer suffered fractured ribs but acknowledged that she could not confirm the rumors. In a previous statement to WPLG, the park said serious injuries were not apparent.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) issued a statement on Saturday’s incident, WVSN reported.
Time is up for the Miami Seaquarium, where long-suffering dolphins desperately need protection and workers are at risk. PETA urges this abusement park to end its exploitation of dolphins by getting them to sanctuaries as quickly as possible, so that they’d never be used in tawdry shows again and no one else would get hurt.
On August 17, 2021, the Dolphin Company announced via a Business Wire press release that it had agreed to assume operations of the Seaquarium from Palace Entertainment. The Dolphin Company is “the largest park operator in Latin America and the number one Swimming with the Dolphins company in the world,” according to the release.
In June of 2021, months before the announcement, the U.S Department of Agriculture released a 17-page report slamming the park’s conditions, according to WPLG. The report noted instances of dead dolphins, rotten fish being fed to animals, and a run-down tank where the Orca Lolita has resided for more than two decades, according to the outlet. The probe led to Miami-Dade County delaying the park’s lease, the MiamiNewTimes noted in January.
In March, Dolphin Company subsidiary MS Leisure announced that the 56-year-old dolphin named Lolita, which was captured in the Pacific Ocean in 1970, would no longer be featured in shows and that guests would be prohibited from entering the Whale Stadium in the future, the Miami Herald reported.
Executive director Travis Burke for the Dolphin Company in North America said in a statement to WPLG that the company has worked to improve park conditions since taking over operations a month ago. He absolved both Sundance and the trainer of any responsibility for the incident and noted that two of the company’s top trainers were at the scene assisting staff. Burke added that Dolphin Company is seeking the consultation of the globe’s leading experts in marine mammal care.