An orca pod launched a continuous attack on a Polish vessel in the Strait of Gibraltar on October 31, 2023. The incident lasted 45 minutes and caused significant damage to the vessel, which eventually sank near Tangier Med. Throughout the incident, the crew, port tugs, and the Moroccan Navy all attempted but failed to salvage the boat.
According to Morskie Mile, the owners of the yacht and operators of sailing holidays in the Mediterranean, the orcas “hit the rudder blade for 45 minutes, causing major damage and leakage.”
Despite the frightening nature of the assault, no one was injured. “The crew is already in Spain, safe and sound,” Morskie Mile stated.
The reasons for this conduct are unknown at this time, however, orcas have been increasingly aggressive toward vessels along the Iberian Peninsula since 2020. Several such experiences with orcas have been reported in the waters of Spain and Portugal in recent years. The content of these encounters varies. In some cases, the animals simply bump the boats, but in others, they have been more persistent and have mistakenly sunk the vessels.
Are they the first battles of a marine revolt?
Although individuals may consider these encounters to be violent, experts believe they are a sign of more complicated behavior. They believe the orcas are engaging in “playful social behavior” in particular.
In essence, scientists believe that these marine hunters are participating in a newly generated “fad” that has spread throughout their population, similar to anything from TikTok. Despite appearances, they are not attacking vessels or humans out of a desire for blood.
Although some argue that the initial encounters of this type were indications of wary behavior by creatures previously damaged by maritime vessels, this does not indicate a sudden “uprising” of these marine mammals.
This is significant because how we explain and comprehend these interactions has a significant impact on how we respond to them. The fear among marine biologists and other experts is that projecting human impulses onto these species could result in retribution, with people beginning to hunt them or “fight back.”
All of the scientists involved in investigating these behaviors emphasize the need to not make this a hostile story. It is vital that we comprehend these animals’ complicated behaviors in order to preserve peaceful coexistence, especially since Iberian orcas are highly endangered.
