Hrm, i doubt he was just 'petting' the dolphin... something tells me he did something it didn't like.
A Port Orange boy celebrating his birthday with a sleepover at SeaWorld Orlando was bitten on the hand Sunday morning by a dolphin he was petting.
This is the second incident in three weeks in which a dolphin bit a child at SeaWorld's Dolphin Cove, a popular dolphin-petting attraction.
It took two adults to pry the dolphin's mouth open so that 7-year-old Hunter Hovan Quidor's hand could be freed, his mother Hollie Bethany said.
The dolphin bite left Hunter's right thumb bruised and swollen. It did not break through the skin.
"It felt painful," Hunter said. "He was pressing harder every time I yanked."
The boy, who is fascinated by dolphins, was celebrating his birthday with friends during a sleepover in the Dolphin Cove underwater-viewing area. After breakfast, Hunter, accompanied by a SeaWorld employee, went to pet the dolphins when one bit down on his hand.
"Maybe he thought it was a fish," the boy said.
His mother said she heard her the boy screaming and looked up in horror to see his hand inside of the animals' mouth.
"It was scary, but when you are a parent you need to be calm," Bethany said.
After the boy got an ice pack to place over his thumb at the first-aid station, he went back to pet dolphins, encouraged by his mother.
"Dolphins are really something he loves and I don't want him to be scared," Bethany said. "It's important for kids to know that wild animals are wild. Sometimes things will happen that will scare you, but you have to give them another chance."
SeaWorld spokeswoman Becca Bides said no changes are being planned for the attraction.
"We feel very confident the way it is set up," Bide said.
She said the incident was caused by an overexcited, 3-year-old animal.
"We do have animals that, as animals of any age and even humans, they get excited and get rambunctious," Bides said.
An animal expert present during the incident, reported there was no aggressive behavior from the dolphin, just playful activity, Bides said.
In late July, a 6-year-old Georgia boy was bitten on the arm at the same attraction. He, too, had minor injuries.
As for Hunter, he plans to pet dolphins again as soon as he has the chance.
"I'll just remember really good how this one looked like so that I can stay away from him."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...rl-dolphin2106aug21,0,6568854.story?track=rss
A Port Orange boy celebrating his birthday with a sleepover at SeaWorld Orlando was bitten on the hand Sunday morning by a dolphin he was petting.
This is the second incident in three weeks in which a dolphin bit a child at SeaWorld's Dolphin Cove, a popular dolphin-petting attraction.
It took two adults to pry the dolphin's mouth open so that 7-year-old Hunter Hovan Quidor's hand could be freed, his mother Hollie Bethany said.
The dolphin bite left Hunter's right thumb bruised and swollen. It did not break through the skin.
"It felt painful," Hunter said. "He was pressing harder every time I yanked."
The boy, who is fascinated by dolphins, was celebrating his birthday with friends during a sleepover in the Dolphin Cove underwater-viewing area. After breakfast, Hunter, accompanied by a SeaWorld employee, went to pet the dolphins when one bit down on his hand.
"Maybe he thought it was a fish," the boy said.
His mother said she heard her the boy screaming and looked up in horror to see his hand inside of the animals' mouth.
"It was scary, but when you are a parent you need to be calm," Bethany said.
After the boy got an ice pack to place over his thumb at the first-aid station, he went back to pet dolphins, encouraged by his mother.
"Dolphins are really something he loves and I don't want him to be scared," Bethany said. "It's important for kids to know that wild animals are wild. Sometimes things will happen that will scare you, but you have to give them another chance."
SeaWorld spokeswoman Becca Bides said no changes are being planned for the attraction.
"We feel very confident the way it is set up," Bide said.
She said the incident was caused by an overexcited, 3-year-old animal.
"We do have animals that, as animals of any age and even humans, they get excited and get rambunctious," Bides said.
An animal expert present during the incident, reported there was no aggressive behavior from the dolphin, just playful activity, Bides said.
In late July, a 6-year-old Georgia boy was bitten on the arm at the same attraction. He, too, had minor injuries.
As for Hunter, he plans to pet dolphins again as soon as he has the chance.
"I'll just remember really good how this one looked like so that I can stay away from him."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...rl-dolphin2106aug21,0,6568854.story?track=rss