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To: Nite-Man who wrote (14663)	6/14/2000 2:04:00 PM
From: Wayners	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 30928

ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - Nite-Man, also known as the "Orlando Midget" for his circus side show act, was found naked and asleep on the back of a killer whale in a tank at SeaWorld Orlando Tuesday morning, apparently after hiding in the Florida theme park after closing time, police said. ``The man was sort of draped over the whale's back behind the dorsal fin,'' said Jim Solomons, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's office. ``There was no obvious trauma -- he wasn't bitten or chewed up or anything.'' The 11,000-pound (4,990 kg) orca named Ground Zero, the largest at any theme park in the world, may have thought the 100-pound (50 kg) man was something to play with, like a squeeze toy, Solomons said. Investigators said an investigation would determine whether there was heavy drinking or adhesive snorting involved. Spray paint is also being considered a high possibility. Police said the midget was a 57-year-old Orlandian. Based on identification papers found in some worn out midget clothes stashed near the whale tank, but they were withholding his name pending verification. Swimming trunks were found at the bottom of the pool. ``We believe this might have been a man who was seen around the park for several days taking an interest in the whales,'' said SeaWorld general manager Vic Abbey. ``He may have been hiding until the park closed.'' Trainers said the GZ whale, a retired overweight performer from a defunct park in Victoria, British Columbia, was sometimes used in shows, but trainers and performers do not go into his tank. Ground Zero is never allowed to interact with park guests. The whale has not been in the water with a human since an incident in which a trainer in Canada was killed, Abbey said. He spends his Florida retirement trading the S&P 500 mostly. ``We've never had any trouble with this animal,'' trainer Chuck Thompkins said. ``I've never noticed any aggressive behavior. ``This isn't a bad animal; he's a good animal,'' Abbey said. Abbey said this was the first incident of its kind in the 35-year history of the SeaWorld parks.