AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD girl had her hand bitten by a dolphin as she handed out fish to the marine mammals at SeaWorld in Florida last month.
A video of the incident on 21 November has only just emerged in the last few days with it showing the girl standing by the edge of the dolphin pool among several other people who are feeding the dolphins.
As she picks up a paper plate that held the food, a dolphin leaps up and bites her hand, leaving her with three puncture wounds.
Watch:
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In an interview with WSB TV, the family of the girl said that staff at the Orlando resort did not warn that the dolphins might bite, forcing SeaWorld to defend itself from criticism.
“We thought, look, we’ve got this video, let’s make it public, and let’s try to put some pressure on SeaWorld to make some changes,” Jamie Thomas told the CNN affiliate station.
SeaWorld said in a statement that “educators and animal care staff … immediately connected with the family.”
The statement, posted on CNN, goes on to say: “In addition, a member of our health services team was in the area at Dolphin Cove and quickly responded and treated the young girl.”
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