A trainer at SeaWorld Orlando was taken to the hospital last year after an orca closed its mouth on the their arm, documents showed.
NBC affiliate WESH-TV reports the incident happened in June 2022, when the trainer was cleaning debris from the orca's mouth inside of a bath pool.
The orca "gently and briefly closed its mouth on a trainer’s arm while the trainer was working to clean its mouth," a company spokesperson said according to documents from OSHA.
The trainer, who was not identified, was treated but did suffer a fractured wrist and was later taken to the hospital for treatment. They later recovered and OSHA found no negligence or violations during its investigation.
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“We have extensive training and procedures in place that focus on maximizing safety for our animals and employees, including interactions between trainers and the animals in our care,” a SeaWorld spokesperson said.
In 2010, the orca Tilikum pulled trainer Dawn Brancheau into the water, killing her after a show at the theme park. In the wake of Brancheau's death, SeaWorld removed trainers from the water and implemented new safety procedures.
