A sailboat was sunk by orcas near Gibraltar, marking the first attack this year in the region.
Crew members of the 15m sailing yacht Alboran Cognac raised a distress signal at around 21:00 local time on Sunday night, and informed the relevant authorities that their vessel had been attacked by orcas about 14 miles from Cape Spartel, in Moroccan waters at the southern end of the Strait of Gibraltar.
The two on board the sailboat reported feeling sudden jolts to the hull before the rudder was destroyed and the vessel began to take on water, according to Spanish newspaper El Pais. The sailboat went out of control and eventually sank, but fortunately the two sailors were picked up by a tanker that was floating by.
Why do orcas ram boats in the Strait of Gibraltar?
The attack was the latest in a series of boat rammings by orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar, which separates the Europe from Africa but also off the coast of Portugal and northwestern Spain.
According to iefimerida, experts estimate that the attacks involved a herd of about 15 cetaceans of the Iberian orca subspecies, which they have named “Gladis. According to the research group GTOA, which monitors the populations of this subspecies, almost 700 incidents of orcas have been recorded since they began attacking ships in this area in May 2020.
Researchers are not sure about the causes of this aggressive behavior that killer whales exhibit. One of the prevailing theories is that the killer whales are expressing their curiosity in this way, or that they are following a trend, possibly targeting the boats, which they consider to be competitors in the hunt for their favorite prey, the bluefin tuna, which is endemic to the waters that’s all.
Read also:
Patras: Drug traffickers hanged a student upside down, parents “fled” children
Weather: A dust storm is coming and will last for 35 days, which areas will it affect
Prespa Agreement: Gerapetritis’ strict message to the new challenges of Silianovska
Mykonos: VIDEO document from the deadly fight
The end of the law school of Athens is over after a police operation, 27 arrests
#Gibraltar #Orcas #sank #sailboat #VIDEO
