Why are orcas attacking boats?

ORCAS have attacked more than 250 boats with three sunk off the coast of Spain and Portugal since 2020.

The ocean's top predators appear to have now set their target on the UK after another boat was attacked in Shetland, Scotland.

Why are orcas attacking boats?

There have been hundreds of coordinated attacks by orca whales off the Iberian coast since 2020.

It is thought these menacing run ins started when an orca matriarch, White Gladis, was struck by a fisherman with the animals now on a revenge crusade.

Scientists believe the traumatised animal taught the other orcas how to attack vessels with their behaviour spreading via social learning.

In a study published in the journal in June 2022 it was found that these orca assaults are directly aimed at sailing boats.

The animals have been found to all follow a similar pattern of approaching from the stern of the vessel and striking the rudder.

What happened in Gibraltar in June 2023?

In early June a sailor was attacked by orcas near Gibraltar and was thrown around like a “rag doll”.

The animals followed their similar pattern of approaching the boat and tearing off its rudders.

Speaking of the harrowing incident, the sailor said in an interview with BBC Radio 4 that he had “first noticed a fin then a light bump and later a very big bump”.

He explained: “I look round and there was a very large whale pushing along the back and trying to bite the rudder.

“To begin with there was one big whale and four smaller whales and they were just bumping it and bumping it.”

Eventually the orcas were able to rip off both rudders from the boat leaving them all at the mercy of the animals.

“We had no mechanism and the whales were in charge and they pushed us around like a rag doll,” he added.

In May, sailors around Gibraltar were warned about the orca attacks with no signs of them stopping.

Are orcas the same as killer whales?

Orcas and killer whales are the same thing with the whale's scientific Latin name being Orcinus orca.

Many choose to refer to the animals as orcas as its less sinister than killer whales.

Orcas are the largest member of the Delphinidae family, or dolphins.

Despite their recent boat attacks, there has been no reliably verified fatal attacks on humans.