something is definitely going on Strait of Gibraltar Orcas. In this part of the Iberian Peninsula (as well as in the Galician region), harassment of small and medium vessels, particularly sailboats, is increasing exponentially. In most cases, although animals are limited to harassing or crashing ships, they are also ruddering and They have come to sink the boat three times since 2020. The last case occurred near Barbate (Cádiz) in the same month of May. The most curious thing about the case is that the orcas they seem to be teaching their youngsters how to attack sailboats.
Three examples of killer whales (orcinus orca) The inhabitants of the Bosphorus were attacked on the night of 4 May. 15 meter sailboat navigating the area and crashing into the helm repeatedly, according to the magazine. sleep.
“There were two small orcas and one big orca,” ‘Champagne’ captain Werner Schaufelberger told the aforementioned German publication. “While the little ones slammed the helm from behind, the big orca backed up many times and he hit the ship with all his strength from the side“, added.
As a result, the ship got out of control and the situation became so dangerous that the crew had to call Barbate Marine Rescue. The lifeboat towed the ship to the port of Barbate, but sank at the entrance of the harbor.
Schaufelberger said he has seen the smaller orcas mimic the behavior of the larger one. “The two smaller orcas followed the older one’s technique, and with a slight nudge they crashed into the boat.”.
Two days ago another sailboat crashed
Two days ago, a flock of six specimens of this group attacked another sailboat passing through the Bosphorus. Greg Blackburn, one of the crew, also observed how. The mother orca seemed to be teaching her cub how to ram the helm.. “It was definitely a form of teaching,” Blackburn told 9news.
In fact, other international media, such as New York PostThey have been repeating the situation created in the Bosphorus with these attacks on sailing ships in the Bosphorus for nearly three years. A performance that experts are still trying to explain.
Reports of such behavior by killer whales began in May 2020 and are becoming more frequent, according to a study published in June last year by a group of Spanish scientists in the journalism. Marine Mammalian Science. Attacks, almost always on sailing ships, follow a clear pattern: animals approach from the stern to hit the helm and leave the area after successfully stopping the boat..
“Reports on interactions have been continuous since 2020, both in Galicia and the Bosphorus,” says biologist Alfredo López Fernández of the University of Aveiro in Portugal, co-author of the report.
However, Fernández points out that most encounters with sailboats are harmless. “In more than 500 interaction events recorded since 2020, there have been three sunken ships. We believe that orcas they only touch one out of 100 ships passing somewhere“, added.
Researchers believe that a traumatic event may have triggered a change in an orca’s behavior and the rest of the population would then emulate it.
“The orcas do this on purpose, of course, we don’t know its source or motivation, but The defensive behavior based on trauma, which is the source of all this, is getting stronger day by day. for us”, according to López Fernández in statements collected by the Vista al Mar portal.
According to the researchers, it is likely a female killer whale in the group collided with the boat or got caught in illegal nets and as a result, it will change its behavior from then on. Those killer whales would start harassing boats.
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