Warning after killer whales seen ‘ramming’ boats in two attacks off coast of Spain
Orcas ram boats in two attacks just minutes apart
- A new warning has been issued following two separate attacks by killer whales on boats off the coast of Galicia, Spain.
- Spanish Maritime Rescue responded to both incidents, towing one boat with a destroyed rudder and rescuing another that had suffered a leak, with both believed to be attacked by the same pod of orcas.
- The first attack involved two orcas, one estimated to be seven metres long, ramming the 'San Pedro' boat and destroying its rudder.
- British sailors were also warned in July about similar aggressive behaviour from orcas off the Spanish coast, highlighting an ongoing issue.
- Marine biologist Alex Zerbini suggests that the hundreds of incidents of orcas ramming boats near the Iberian Peninsula since May 2020 are likely a new “cultural tradition” or “fad” among the animals.