A shocking footage of a distressed whale making tragic contact with a vessel has gone viral on social media.
The incident reportedly occurred on Sunday, August 3, at Barnegat Bay in New Jersey, when a whale bashed into a small motorboat sending the woman onboard flying into the frothing waves.
The video shows evident desperation of the whale as its fin and back could be seen lurching out of the water and as the vessel approached, it became more frantic.
The incident was captured by Kim Mancini, who said, “The whale seemed to be in trouble before the boaters arrived,” adding that the animal appeared seriously distressed.
Mancini added, “It was a crazy experience."
It has been reported that the woman was pulled out of the water safely, without any serious injuries, however, the whale tragically died after the incident.
It remains unclear what caused the death of the marine mammal.
The incident has sparked debate about conservation of marine wildlife, as one netizen wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “They should never have been that close to the whale. I believe there are federal rules about approaching whales.”
Another penned, “Get those stupid boats out of the water.”
According to the World Wildlife Fund, whales are vital to the health of marine environments but 7 out of 13 great whale species are already endangered or vulnerable.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recommends to stay a 100-yard (almost a football field’s length) away from marine wildlife.
