The orca was spotted with suspected pellet gun wounds. Photo: WeWhale // Facebook
The conflict between orcas and humans in the Strait of Gibraltar has escalated to all-out war. This week, Spanish officials launched an investigation after the leader of an orca pod was spotted with wounds from a suspected pellet gun.
The victim was Toñi, the oldest known living orca in the Strait of Gibraltar and matriarch of the Gulf of Cadiz population. The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) first became aware of the injury on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 11, after being informed by the conservation organization WeWhale. The organization promptly launched an investigation into the culprit.
Luckily Ignacio Peinó González, the researcher who discovered Toñi’s injuries, thinks she will recover well. “She has always had a strong immune system and has been doing very well, so we are confident that she can pull through despite her age,” he told El Pais.
The shooting is suspected to be in retaliation to orca attacks on boats in the area. Since 2020, killer whales have regularly damaged and even sunk boats around the Iberian Peninsula, with hundreds of attacks reported each year. There are various theories as to exactly why they have taken to doing this. While some believe the behavior could be revenge for vessel strikes, others characterize the attacks as “play behavior.”
Even though the orcas have caused some property damage in the past, Peinó González asserted that violence is not the answer. “Regardless of anyone’s opinion, shooting these animals can never be an acceptable response,” he added. “These orcas need protection, not retaliation,” he says.
The other reason to refrain from counterattacks is that it actually could end up escalating the conflict further. As marine biologist and Orca Atlántica spokesperson Alberto López explained, “She stores decades of information in her mind, including memories of when others have died at the hands of humans or been shot… And the rest will imitate what she does.”.
