If you’ve tuned into the news in the past couple of weeks, you’ve likely heard about the rise of killer whale attacks. Not on other animals or directly on humans, but on small boats. The majority of the attacks have been occurring off the Straight of Gibraltar in Spain, but have been spreading north as well. There have been reports of orca attacks in Spain as well as off the coast of Scotland.
The reports are of killer whales attacking and ramming small and large boats. Some think the orcas are being playful, while others think they could have had a traumatic experience with a boat and are seeking revenge. The above video shows a killer whale slamming into a 66-foot sailboat off of Spain’s souther coast, damaging the hull. In the past few weeks alone, three boats have been sunk.
According to researchers, orca encounters have increased since 2020 with more than 20 interactions recorded in the past month. Last year, there were a total of 207 killer whale interactions.
“My personal opinion is people do revenge, animals don’t do revenge,” says Robert Pittman, a marine mammal researcher at Oregon State University who used to study orcas in San Diego. “I think they’re just playing around. They tried it once and turned it into a game. As it is with killer whales, things tend to spread among the group.”
“The matriarch is definitely in charge of the group and if she’s in favor of it or will let it happen then it will, but if she says ‘no,’ then it’ll stop,” he adds.
Pittman is hopeful that the attacks won’t lead to people attempting to kill the whales. So far, no one has been killed in the recent attacks and the inspiration behind them still remains a mystery.
