A tense encounter between a beluga whale and two divers in China has gone viral after footage captured the animal’s aggressive behavior.
The incident occurred on Thursday, Aug. 14, at the Chengdu Haichang Polar Ocean Park in Sichuan. Video from Viral Press shows the beluga lunging at a female aquarium worker, attempting to bite her legs as she tried to swim to safety. Moments later, the whale targeted a male diver holding a camera, biting his flippers briefly before swimming away.
Fortunately, both divers escaped without injury, though the dramatic scene caused onlookers outside the tank to scream and shout in alarm.
This isn’t the first time belugas in captivity have displayed aggression. In April, a woman participating in an underwater photo shoot in Yunnan was attacked by a beluga that grabbed her head and removed her wig, though she, too, escaped unharmed.
Beluga whales are generally social and intelligent animals, often showing curiosity toward humans, according to the Natural History Museum. However, researchers note that captive belugas can act aggressively if they feel threatened or provoked. Despite these incidents, the species is currently listed as “least concern” on the IUCN Red List.
