Killer whales against boats, there is alarm in Spain and Portugal

(ANSA) - ROME, SEPTEMBER 13 - Attacks by killer whales against boats along the coasts of Spain and Portugal are increasingly frequent: the Guardian today reports numerous episodes of this kind, emphasizing that the scientific community is 'disconcerted'.

    In the past two months, these large mammals have taken off sailing and motor yachts, causing serious damage and, in at least one case, injuring a member of a crew.

    The latest attack took place last Friday, in front of LaCoruña, a Spanish town overlooking the north coast of the country: an orca threw itself at least 15 times against the stern of an 11-meter boat heading towards the United Kingdom.

The boat lost the rudder and had to be towed to the nearest port.

    Also last Friday the presence of killer whales was reported via radio about 120 km south of La Coruña, near Vigo, in the same area in which last August 30 a boat flying the French flag and a Spanish flag were attacked and damaged. at a regatta.

    According to researchers studying killer whales in the Strait of Gibraltar, it is common for these mammals to chase boats, but attacks have never been recorded before.

Experts believe that at least one group of killer whales is responsible for the attacks, but the reasons for these behaviors, defined by scientists as "very unusual", are not yet known.

    On 29 July, nine killer whales attacked a 14-meter sailboat in front of Cape Trafalgar, in southern Spain, ramming it for more than an hour while communicating with each other comfort whistles: also in this case the boat had to be towed due to damage to the rudder.

The previous night a 12-meter sailboat owned by a British couple had been attacked, while a few hours earlier the same fate had befallen a 10-meter boat.

(HANDLE).