Animals
Another orca attack on participants in the Mallorca regatta
In a video image, an orca moves at a rudder of the ocean-going sailing yacht of the JAJO team, which is taking part in the 2023 Ocean Race in June. photo
© -/The Ocean Race via AP/dpa
Although the crew was not injured, there must have been a moment of horror: Another orca attack on a boat in the Mediterranean.
Another participant in the Mallorca sailing regatta “Copa del Rey” was attacked by orcas. The boat “Kapote III” is on the The organizers of the competition announced that the Mediterranean Sea was on its way to the holiday island when it was attacked near the Spanish coastal town of Estepona on Thursday evening. The crew was not injured, it said.
Reports of orca attacks off the coasts of Spain and Portugal have been piling up for months. According to records of the organization “GT Orca Atlántica” (GTOA), they mainly occur in the Strait of Gibraltar. There, on July 11, the boat “Corsario” was severely damaged in an attack. Like the “Kapote III”, the “Corsario” was also on its way to Mallorca to take part in the “Copa del Rey”, the “king’s cup”, from July 29th. Spain’s King Felipe VI usually takes part in the competition. part.
Scientific speak of “interactions”
When attacking “Kapote III”, the animals, also known as killer whales, tore off a piece of the rudder. The boat became unable to maneuver and had to be towed by the Spanish sea rescue service. The attack by “three or four” of the mammals probably lasted five to ten minutes, crew member Santi Villagrán said. “But we were all so nervous that no one knows for sure. Everyone says something different.”
Although there is always talk of “attacks” by the orcas, scientists prefer to speak of “interactions” because the exact reason for these incidents is not yet known. Some, like the president of the environmental organization Circe, Renaud de Stephanis, are convinced that the orcas just want to play. Meanwhile, GTOA biologist Alfredo López says it could also be a response to a negative experience with a ship or boat. But it is also possible that the highly intelligent killer whales from the dolphin family simply “invented something new”.