POD OF 5 ORCAS ATTACKS YACHT IN STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR, TERRIFYING ALL ABOARD
Orcas keep hitting the news with attacks on boats at sea. The latest of these was in the Strait of Gibraltar, where a pod of five orcas attacked a yacht, traumatizing everyone on board. I vaguely remember seeing the movie Orca years ago, a bad iteration of Moby Dick, where an Orca sought revenge against a whaler. But as bad as it was, I remember it. It was scary, especially as a kid. So just imagine 5 orcas attacking your vessel in the middle of the ocean, acting in a totally coordinated manner. That’s what I call scary.
Read More: Family Finds Over 1 Million Pennies in Father’s Los Angeles Home
STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR YET ANOTHER ZONE WHERE ORCAS WILL ATTACK HAPLESS VESSELS
The sailor and owner of the yacht is British man Iain Hamilton. He was enjoying the day at sea in the Strait of Gibraltar when the orcas discovered his vessel, and promptly tore off both the rudders, leaving him unable to steer. He said that the orcas “pushed us around like a rag doll.” But he’s not sure the attack was actually an attack. He felt that they were being “almost playful” and not aggressive. Clearly, if they could push the boat around like a rag doll, they had plenty of power to take the boat apart, and quickly.
Related:
STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR ATTACK THE LATEST OF 20 SUCH ORCA ATTACKS IN THE PAST MONTH
But like I said before, orcas have been in the news for attacks (or not attacks) like this. In just the past month, there have been 20 such incidents reported by the Atlantic Orca Working Group. Most of them seem to be playful and coordinated, but cause major damage to the boats they target. Why are orcas doing this? One theory is that a single traumatized female orca may be instigating them. Maybe I need to watch the movie, Orca, again. But this latest attack in the Strait of Gibraltar clearly won’t be the last.
