Killer whales have struck a 12-meter sailing vessel off the coast of Brittany, France, 1,300 kilometers north of the Strait of Gibraltar, where numerous similar incidents have been recorded before. This was reported by newspaper The Telegram.
The incident happened on July 16. As it is known, two young killer whales hit the edge of the promenade and seriously damaged the steering wheel. The people on the boat called for help from the local coast guard, who towed the emergency boat to the port of Gilvinek.
The incident was one of nearly 700 recorded cases of killer whale attacks on ships in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea along the coasts of Europe and North Africa since July 2020. Almost half of those encounters caused minor or serious damage to the boats.
As a rule, cetaceans deliberately rush to the rudder and break it, depriving the ship of the ability to maneuver.
According to scientists, until recently killer whales mainly attacked boats in the Strait of Gibraltar. The latest incident off the coast of Brittany may indicate that the cetaceans are migrating northwards or that such behaviour is being transmitted between local populations.
Previous researchers I learned Why killer whales are sinking human-carrying ships in the Mediterranean.
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Source: Gazeta
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