Copa del Rey
Another orca attack on the Mallorca regatta
An orca (killer whale) in the sea off Lanzarote. Reports of orca attacks off the coasts of Spain and Portugal have been piling up for months. photo
© SECAC/Monica Perez/epa efe/dpa
A sailing boat has been attacked by orcas again in the Strait of Gibraltar. The boat was en route to the Copa del Rey sailing regatta. It is the third participant boat that was attacked.
Participants in this year’s Mallorca sailing regatta Copa del Rey have been attacked by orcas for the third time. The boat “Tiro” from Portugal was attacked by two of these marine mammals before entering the Strait of Gibraltar, skipper Nuno Vasco Barreto told the specialist portal “Gaceta Náutica”.
The incident occurred on Friday in front of the southern Spanish coastal municipality of Barbate, but has only now become known. The rudder that was destroyed in the process is currently being repaired in Valencia, it said.
As with the first two incidents, the boat was attacked while en route to Mallorca to compete in the Copa del Rey, the “King’s Cup”. The regatta off the Mediterranean island begins on Saturday. Spain’s King Felipe VI usually takes part in the competition. (55) participated with his boat.
Orca attacks off the coasts of Spain and Portugal
Reports of orca attacks off the coasts of Spain and Portugal have been piling up for months. According to the GT Orca Atlántica (GTOA) organization, they mainly occur in the Strait of Gibraltar. This is where the first attack of this year on a participant in the Mallorca regatta took place on July 11th. The boat “Corsario” was severely damaged. Nine days later, the sailing boat “Kapote III” became a victim of such an incident.
Although the term “attacks” is always used, researchers prefer to speak of “interactions” because the exact reason for these incidents is not known. Some, like the president of the environmental protection organization Circe, Renaud de Stephanis, are convinced that the animals, also known as orca or killer whales, just want to play.
Meanwhile, GTOA biologist Alfredo López says it could also be a reaction to a negative experience with a ship. But it is also possible that the highly intelligent animals from the dolphin family simply “invented something new” for themselves.