Horror moment ‘jealous’ male killer whale Orky bodyslams trainer riding female orca leaving him in a wheelchair

In the brief clip from local news, Corky can be seen leaping over John in the stunt show, while at another point, he dives off her nose in midair.

During the fateful incident, John was reverse-riding Corky while clutching her dorsal fin.

Suddenly, Orky leaps out of the water and slams on top of John and Corky, sending all three plunging beneath the surface.

Speaking to the in December 1987, a source within SeaWorld alleged that there was sexual activity involving Orky shortly before the show.

He compared the performance in this case to "riding a mare in season in the presence of a stallion".

In the same article, animal behaviourist and marine mammal trainer Karen Pryor implied that Orky must have been angry or jealous to act the way he did.

"You need to be able to read your animals, to see if anything is bothering them," she said.

"Killer whales, if they get angry, the white of the eye turns red. You never want them to get that angry."

After the incident, SeaWorld ordered trainers to stop riding the whales and stay out of the water.

In the years following, SeaWorld has greatly changed its practices and stopped holding such shows.