Squashed by triton: Escaped sea lion’s stomach flops over employee who tries to push the 330-pound beast into its enclosure at Mallorca’s marine park
Marineworld keeper Sonia tries to stop a seal named Triton from falling out of her tank
It was at this point that a sea lion that lunged at the side of its enclosure tried to push the 330-pound animal back, knocking its keeper to the floor.
As the seal Triton tears over the edge of his glass tank, keeper Sonya is seen rushing to prevent him from falling.
But the friendly beast then collapsed on top of her, dropping Sonia to the floor with its weight, leaving visitors at Mallorca’s Marineworld worried she had ‘broken something’.
British, German and American tourists watched in horror as the incident unfolded, with several seen jumping out of their seats.
But luckily, moments after the aquatic mammal and its keeper hit the floor, they were seen to recover quickly, with Triton circling behind Sonya as the pair hurried off to have her checked out by medics.
At this moment the newt was spotted titting on the edge of its glass tank at Marineland, Mallorca.
The entire weight of the sea lion was shouldered by the female keeper, who was unable to support the 330-pound beast.
Among the audience was influencer Micah Diaz, 20, who hails from Clearwater, Florida, USA and was visiting Marineland with his family.
He witnessed the shocking moment Triton managed to escape from the tank, which is surrounded by hundreds of seats for paying spectators.
‘I was on a family holiday at Marineland in Mallorca,’ he said.
‘I’m a surfer and very comfortable around marine animals and have been to many aquariums.
‘I have never seen such an accident.
‘I was immediately shocked and thought the woman had broken something.’
After Sonya managed to get out from under Triton, the pair quickly jumped up and pulled her away to check on her.
‘Then the sea lion was taken away,’ he said.
‘I think I’ll be checked out for injury or put back in the tank.
‘It doesn’t happen often.
‘It looked like the sea lion got a little excited.
‘But luckily both were fine.’
At the end of the ordeal, Sonya got up and petted the sea lion as a sign that the two were intact and still friends.
Triton’s weight instantly knocks Sonia to the floor and the audience is worried that she has ‘broken something’.
Sonya manages to get out from under Triton and the pair quickly jump up before she pulls him away to check on her.
Triton, who performs for visitors at the park every day, has been described by his keepers as ‘150 kilos of love and kindness’.
Marineland shared a video after the incident of Seal and Sonya showing that both are doing well and thanking the public for their concern.
The park is a popular marine amusement park where dolphin and sea lion shows are also held.
Attraction is not everyone’s cup of tea, and the practice of keeping wild animals in captivity and training them for performances has been criticized by campaigners in Europe and the US in recent years.
Among the audience was influencer Micah Diaz, 20, who hails from Clearwater, Florida, US and was visiting Mallorca’s Marineland with his family.
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