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Stephen went to Marine Land in the south of France for this challenge, which was to assist top zoo vet David Taylor collect a sample of blood from a six-tonne killer whale called Kim...

...easier said than done!
Killer whales are very dangerous indeed, so David started off by running Stephen through some important safety considerations.

He explained that the whales are very intelligent and extremely powerful.
He advised Stephen not to go too close to the water - because the killer whales can easily and unexpectedly jump out!

They're quite happy on land as well as in the water.
A bite fron a killer whale would be very serious indeed - just look at those teeth!

And a single blow from the powerful tail could easily break Stephen's legs.

David also advised Stephen not to turn his back on the whales...
David asked Stephen to hold Kim's tail while he looked for a blood vessel from which to extract the sample of blood.

As you might expect, Stephen was very nervous about this! The killer whales aren't called "killer" for no reason!
David needed the blood sample in order to check up on Kim's general health.

Blood analysis can reveal many things.
Success!

The needle didn't hurt Kim - it's just a teeny tiny prick on what is, of course, a huge creature!
Here's Kim having lunch as normal afterwards - with Stephen doing the feeding!

© The Foundation TV Productions Ltd 2001



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Foundation TV Productions Ltd 2001



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