Image via Wikipedia
There are several types of whales that one can see during a whale watching boat ride or tour but one of the most popular attractions on these trips is the killer whale. Killer whales, or orca, belong to the dolphin family and have gathered the same reputation for intelligence and grace that their cousins have with marine enthusiasts.
However, some people have started to question the safety of whale watching tours, particularly with the bad press over a handler’s death at SeaWorld in 2010. That particular whale was responsible for at least two other deaths throughout his career as a marine theme part animal and there have about two dozen other attacks (and a few deaths) on humans by orca that were in captivity at the time.
Even the earliest writings of the killer what would indicate that the animal is a threat to human lives. Pliny the Elder wrote around 70 A.D. that there was no way he could describe the creatures, “other than an enormous mass of savage flesh with teeth.” However, though his imagery is violent, he clearly states that the whales get their name from the way they ram into other whales.
There have been very few confirmed incidents of orca attacking humans in the wild. Most of the time, even the people involved with the attack can attribute it to another circumstance, such as an orca confusing a boat for prey. Even with these rare attacks, there are no recorded incidents of a human death attributed to a killer whale in the wild. It would seem that the only danger killer whales pose for humans is in captivity.
