By The newspaper
07 Nov 2023, 22:20 PM EST
A new group of orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar region sank a sailboat during a 45-minute attack.
This event marks the fourth such incident in the last two years in which these powerful marine mammals, also known as “killer whales,” have been blamed for sinking ships.
The incident on October 31 involved a medium-sized sailboat, called Grazie Mamma, owned by the Polish cruise company Morskie Mile.
According to a translated Facebook post from the company, the orcas relentlessly attacked the ship off the coast of Morocco. The attackers caused significant damage, repeatedly striking the yacht’s rudder, causing water to enter the hull of the ship.
Fortunately, all passengers were safely evacuated before the ship finally succumbed to damage. She was being towed to the port of Tangier-Med in Morocco by the Moroccan Navy when she sank, as reported by Live Science.
The growing threat of killer whale attacks
The Strait of Gibraltar region has been dealing with orca-related incidents for more than three years, and this recent attack has raised concerns. The intensity of these encounters is increasing, and the orcas are increasingly harassing the boats and their passengers.
In particular, reports of killer whale ambushes have gained traction online, as incidents off the Iberian coast increased from 52 in 2020 to more than 200 last year. Fortunately, no injuries or human deaths have been reported as a result of these encounters, according to the Orca GTOA research group.
Experts are grappling with the sudden, unexplained rise in these aggressive encounters. According to Andrew Trites, professor and director of Marine Mammal Research at the University of British Columbia, two main theories are currently being considered. However, the precise reason behind this behavior remains a mystery.
One theory posits that the orcas could be participating in a form of “game” or “sport.” The second theory suggests that the orcas’ extensive exposure to traumatic injuries during navigation may have conditioned them to perceive boats as a threat.
Although these events remain a mystery, experts and authorities are actively working to address the situation and ensure the safety of all parties involved.
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