Orcas keep attacking and damaging boats off the Iberian coast – now another participating ship in the Mallorca regatta had to be towed away. Researchers are puzzled by the incidents.
The headlines have piled up in recent weeks: orcas off the Spanish-Portuguese coast are approaching ships, biting the oars or ramming the hull. Just ten days ago, a sailing boat on the way to the Mallorca regatta “Copa del Rey” was severely damaged in such an incident, and now another participating ship was hit. The “Kapote III” was on its way towards the island when several killer whales approached it near the Spanish coastal town of Estepona on Thursday evening, according to the organizers of the competition. So nobody was injured.
During the incident, the animals tore off a piece of the rudder. The boat became unable to maneuver and had to be towed by the Spanish Maritime Rescue Service. The incident involving “three or four” of the mammals probably lasted five to 10 minutes, crew member Santi Villagrán said. “But we were all so nervous that no one knows for sure. Everyone says something different.”
Traumatic experience or just a game?
Meanwhile, scientists are puzzling over why the animals off the Iberian coast are behaving so strangely. This was observed for the first time in 2020, and the organization “GT Orca Atlántica” (GTOA) has now counted more than 500 reports. Accordingly, the incidents occur mainly in the Strait of Gibraltar. No one has been seriously injured so far, but the ships suffered some serious damage. It was only in May that a sailing yacht sank after a lifeboat took the crew on board and towed the ship towards Barbate harbour.
There are now several theories as to the cause. For example, the president of the environmental protection organization Circe, Renaud de Stephanis, assumes that the orcas only want to play. Expect the incidents to stop once the orcas get tired of this game.
GTOA biologist Alfredo López thinks it could also be a response to a negative experience with a ship or boat. But it is also possible that the animals simply “invented something new” and are now repeating it. The highly intelligent killer whales are social animals and quickly adapt the behavior of conspecifics.
Researcher: Not “attacks” but “interactions”
However, GTOA scientists emphasize that the animals are not out to harm humans. You also explicitly do not speak of “attacks” but of “interactions”. The organization explains on its website that Iberian orcas are actually dolphins and their designation as “killer whales” is completely wrong because they don’t eat humans. “There are headlines in the press that blur reality,” says López. “Rather, all of this must make us think that human activity might be the reason for this behavior.”
The killer whales involved in the incidents in Spanish-Portuguese waters are a subgroup of orcas and, at up to 6.5 metres, are significantly smaller than their arctic cousins, which can reach up to 9 metres. The Spanish government classified Iberian orcas as an endangered species in 2011. They have also been on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List since 2019.