Dramatic footage shows the moment a sea lion which had clambered onto the side of its enclosure fell several feet, slamming its keeper to the floor as she tried to push the 330-pound animal back in.
As the seal, called Tritón, teetered on the edge of his glass tank, keeper Sonia could be seen rushing over to stop him from falling.
The friendly beast then came crashing down on top of her, with his weight knocking Sonia to the floor instantly and leaving spectators worried she had ‘broken something’.
British, German and American tourists watched on in horror as the incident unfolded, with several seen jumping out of their seats.
But thankfully, shortly after the aquatic mammal and its keeper hit the floor, they appeared to recover quickly, with Tritón seen waddling after Sonia as the pair hurried off to get him checked by medics.
This is the moment Tritón was seen teetering on the edge of his glass tank at Marineland, Mallorca
His keeper Sonia quickly ran over to try and push him back into the tank, but it was too late
The sea lion’s full weight was shouldered by the female keeper, who was unable to bear the 330-pound beast
Tritón fell several feet, knocking Sonia straight to the ground in front of dozens of spectators
Tritón’s weight knocked Sonia to the floor instantly and left spectators worried she had ‘broken something’
Among those in the audience was influencer Micah Diaz, 20, who is from Clearwater, Florida, USA and was visiting the Marineland in Mallorca with his family.
He witnessed the shocking moment Tritón managed to escape the tank, which is surrounded by hundreds of seats for paying spectators.
‘I was on a family vacation to Marineland in Mallorca,’ he said.
‘I am a surfer and very comfortable around marine animals and have been to many aquariums.
‘I have never seen an accident like this.
‘I immediately was in shock and thought the woman broke something.’
After Sonia managed to wriggle out from under Tritón, the pair quickly jumped back up and he was whisked away to be checked over.
‘The sea lion was then taken away,’ he said.
‘I’m assuming to be checked out for injuries or put back in the tank.
‘This does not happen often.
‘It seemed as if the sea lion got a little excited.
‘But thankfully both were ok.’
At the end of the ordeal, Sonia had gotten up and pet the sea lion as a gesture that both were unharmed and still friends.
Among those in the audience was influencer Micah Diaz, 20, who is from Clearwater, Florida, USA and was visiting the Marineland in Mallorca with his family.
Sonia managed to wriggle out from under Triton and the pair quickly jumped back up before he was whisked away to be checked over
At the end of the ordeal, Sonia had gotten up and pet the sea lion as a gesture that both were unharmed and still friends.
Tritón, who performs every day for visitors to the park, has been described by his keepers as ‘150 kilos of love and kindness’.
Marineland shared a video after the incident of the seal and Sonia together to show that both are doing well and thank the public for their concern.
The park is a popular marine amusement park that also holds dolphin and sea lion shows.
The attraction is not everyone’s cup of tea, and the practice of keeping wild animals in captivity and training them for performances has been criticised by campaigners in Europe and the US in recent years.
