The skipper of the boat sailing off Portugal describes a series of powerful blows to the hull produced by five to seven killer whales.
A group attack that ends up sinking the ship after forty-five minutes.
The French crew escapes safe and sound thanks to their rescue boat but shocked.
“Adult killer whales weigh several tons.
Even when a young man pulls the rudder (from a boat) he has considerable strength.
This raw strength is truly impressive.
» From the cabin of his boat with which he carries out his observation missions in Norway, Pierre Robert de Latour, the founding President of « Orques sans frontières » wonders about this phenomenon which has been going on for several years.
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“It is not a phenomenon of predation but rather, in my opinion, of play as in all mammals, explains this specialist in black and white cetaceans.
A game that would not be regulated by adults.
What happened, no doubt, was that a group of young people started to play with the rudders of the sailboats, to tear them off.
Normally, adults regulate these hooligan behaviors but it is possible that there was no adult and this game has become a habit in this group.
Then it spread to another group.”
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