A pod of about 20 orca targeted a sailboat in southern Spain, marking the second such attack in the region in May 2023.
The killer whale attacked the boat for nearly an hour. Photo: SWNS
The incident occurred on the afternoon of May 22nd off Cape Trafalgar and lasted nearly an hour, according to Newsweek . "We saw 20 orca approaching," Captain Sébastien Destremau told France Bleu radio. "They split into two groups. Eight or ten began a systematic attack on the rudder." Following recommended procedures, Destremau lowered the sails to stop the boat. However, after 20 minutes, the orca did not give up. The 15-ton boat, named The Lancelot, shook violently.
Destremau decided to restart the engine. He steered the boat back and forth, following the pod of orcas to prevent them from getting too close to the rudder. The crew feared this might enrage them further. Taking advantage of a moment when the orcas stopped pushing, Destremau made a sharp turn and floored the accelerator. A few minutes later, the orcas pod left.
The sailors on the yacht were all safe and continued their journey. However, a similar attack on May 4th caused more serious damage. In that case, the crew was forced to abandon the Swiss yacht Champagne, which was attacked by three killer whales off the coast of Gibraltar.
Authorities received numerous reports of encounters with aggressive orca off the Iberian coast starting in May 2020. However, the number of incidents has become increasingly frequent, according to research published in the journal Marine Mammal Science in June 2022. Researchers suggest that the attacks may be instigated by a female orca seeking revenge by teaching her mates to do the same.
"Of course, killer whales act that way intentionally. We don't know the origin or motive, but it's self-defense based on injury," said Alfredo López Fernandez, a biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal and a representative of the organization.
According to López Fernandez, the female killer whale named White Gladis may have been hit by a ship in the past, causing her to retaliate against all vessels as a form of self-defense. Killer whales are highly social creatures. Other members may have witnessed this behavior and imitated it. Some other experts speculate that it could also be an unusual form of playful interaction. "Coordinated play is quite common in killer whales; they are unaware that sinking ships endangers human lives," said Kerstin Bilgmann, a researcher at Macquarie University in New South Wales, Australia.
An Khang (According to Newsweek )
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