Scientists baffled by orcas ramming sailing boats near Spain and Portugal

[marmar]

(Guardian UK) Scientists have been left baffled by incidents of orcas ramming sailing boats along the Spanish and Portuguese coasts.

In the last two months, from southern to northern Spain, sailors have sent distress calls after worrying encounters. Two boats lost part of their rudders, at least one crew member suffered bruising from the impact of the ramming, and several boats sustained serious damage.

The latest incident occurred on Friday afternoon just off A Coruña, on the northern coast of Spain. Halcyon Yachts was taking a 36ft boat to the UK when an orca rammed its stern at least 15 times, according to Pete Green, the company’s managing director. The boat lost steering and was towed into port to assess damage.

Around the same time there were radio warnings of orca sightings 70 miles south, at Vigo, near the site of at least two recent collisions. On 30 August, a French-flagged vessel radioed the coastguard to say it was “under attack” from killer whales. Later that day, a Spanish naval yacht, Mirfak, lost part of its rudder after an encounter with orcas under the stern. ..........(more)

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/13/killer-whales-launch-orchestrated-attacks-on-sailing-boats

[LiberalFighter]

1. Were the boaters listening to a Trump speech?

[HAB911]

2. Payback? Karma?

[rockfordfile]

17. sounds like it

[ffr]

3. Weird

Even wildlife is fed up with human overpopulation. Their already losing the battle. I suppose some of the stronger ones have decided they might as well go down with a fight.

[malaise]

4. Not just overpopulation

How we relate to every other species - we are monsters

[2naSalit]

6. +1

[Loki Liesmith]

11. We are not monsters

We’re just the most powerful force this planet has ever seen. Our instincts are just he same as every other mammalian species. We’re just better at getting what we want.

[CatWoman]

21. i.e., monsters

[Golden Raisin]

5. Sick of our garbage, pollution and plastic

in their world?

[2naSalit]

7. Sick and tired of boats and the people in them.

Can't say I blame them. And, maybe they will eventually get eat some if they manage to break up a boat. They are very intelligent beings, and they know who is to blame for all the trash in the oceans.

[Loki Liesmith]

12. I guarantee they don't know that and don't care.

[MoonRiver]

8. Are they hearing sonar there?

That makes all marine mammals crazy, not to mention deaf.

[Loki Liesmith]

13. My guess is it's something like that

[ihas2stinkyfeet]

9. thus proving that science education beats the creativity out of too many scientists.

[Loki Liesmith]

14. Lolwut

[ihas2stinkyfeet]

15. well, then you are missing half the fun.

i'm here to match wits be my elders and betters.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=14067159

[mitch96]

10. Ahhh Shades of Moby Dick..... Take THAT you plastic POS!!!!

This should be interesting to see why they are doing this... My guess is a territorial. They see the "big white thing" as something moving in on their piece of ocean...YMMV
m

[Brother Buzz]

18. Or shades of the Essex

Essex was an American whaler from Nantucket, Massachusetts, which was launched in 1799. In 1820, while at sea in the southern Pacific Ocean under the command of Captain George Pollard Jr., she was attacked and sunk by a sperm whale.

It was Herman Melville's inspiration for Moby-Dick



In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick is an excellent read



But so is this Smithsonian article:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-true-life-horror-that-inspired-moby-dick-17576/

[spanone]

16. They've had it with humans

[Brother Buzz]

19. The sailing community will tell you it's because sailboats don't make noise

Sailboats have been striking whales forever because the don't make noise and are able to drive over them without warning. Cetaceans have long memories, I guess.

[EX500rider]

20. Not new to anyone who read "Survive the Savage Sea"

In June 1972, the 43-foor schooner Lucette was attacked by killer whales and sank in 60 seconds.

[DSandra]

22. Mother Nature is Angry

[sanatanadharma]

23. Orcas are conscious beings

Orcas are conscious beings. They have awareness, communication, knowledge of their (largely unknown to humans) world.

Orcas know which species is destroying their world.

Humans need the wisdom of the wild to tame the bestiality of humans.