On Sunday early morning local time, whale rammed a sailing yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar, ultimately sinking the boat. Two people were onboard throughout the attack. Both sailors endured the experience and were saved by an oil tanker that transported them to Gibraltar, Reuters reports.
The private yacht, called the Alboran Cognac, was 49 feet long. It was taking a trip in Moroccan waters when the sailors onboard reported “feeing abrupt blows to the hull and rudder before water began leaking into the ship,” Reuters states.
The travelers alerted rescue services. The boat didn’t sink immediately, however reports recommend it eventually did. Officials do not know how many whales attacked the boat.
This is the most recent in a string of examples over the past few years of whale ramming and even sinking boats, particularly in this location. However why?
Are Orcas Out to Sink Boats?
Last summer, Dr. Bec Wellard, a research researcher with the Centre for Marine Science and Technology at Western Australia’s Curtin University and the founder and head of research for Project whale, talked with Outdoors.com about these kinds of occurrences. She states even whale researchers do not know for sure why killer whales are ramming boats.
“Killer whales are exceptionally intelligent, exhibit culture, and show learned behavior,” Wellard stated.” [S] ocial knowing might have happened, where it began with either one or a few individual orcas exhibiting this type of interaction with boats and has actually now spread to others.”
Wellard’s opinion about this behavior is that it’s occurring from whale’ curious and lively nature. While killer whales are deadly predators, neither humans nor boats are their victim. It’s possible the animals were looking for a complimentary meal (of fish), considering that Wellard states: “In the Strait of Gibraltar, killer whales have actually been observed depredating tuna on long-liners.”
While whales aren’t always out to sink boats, they do occasionally handle to do so, leaving wildlife researchers scratching their heads. For orca researchers like Wellard, the attacks are regrettable, since the last thing these animals require is a bad credibility that could result in fear or, even worse, retribution.
Orcas rammed a sailing luxury yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar, ultimately sinking the boat. Two individuals were onboard throughout the attack.