Dangerous myth busted about orcas 'attacking' luxury sailing boats
The world's leading expert on orca behaviour travelled to the Strait of Gibraltar to understand why they were damaging boats.
Yes, orcas have been sinking expensive sailing boats but everything you’ve read about the situation is probably wrong.
“They are being reported as killing machines and vengeful animals, and it’s not the truth,” Sea Shepherd France’s co-founder Lamya Essemlali told Yahoo News.
Sadly, false reports have led to some truly weird behaviour from fearful international crews as they enter the Strait of Gibraltar. Locals report sailors have attached razor blades to the hulls of their craft, while others have doused the orcas with petrol and another group threw explosives at them.
So while it’s fun to believe orcas might be taking revenge on humans and “attacking” boats, experts are worried this urban legend is likely to get some orca killed, and they're urgently working to bust this myth.
New Zealand based cetacean expert Dr Ingrid Visser travelled to the Strait of Gibraltar to observe the Iberian orca population’s behaviour for two weeks. And she’s seen other pods of orca doing similar things back home.
“Here in New Zealand most people love to see these incredible animals, even the ones who push boats around,” Visser told Yahoo News.
“If the orca in the Strait of Gibraltar wanted to take revenge on people, there would be a lot more sunken boats.
“My opinion is it’s just pure play. And it just happens that you’re dealing with five to nine-tonne animals, so their play results in damage to the boats. It’s clear from what I’ve seen that it’s not aggression.”
How are the orcas playing with boats?
Having observed a number of Iberian orcas, Visser thinks they are focused on playing with one particular part of the boat.
“Sinking the boat is not their end game. They break the rudder, play with the broken-off piece, and then depart,” she said. “They’re not hanging around to watch the boat sink.”
Why are so many boats being damaged?
Visser understands there has been a “gradual escalation” of orcas interacting with boats around the Strait of Gibraltar. Today, nearly the entire population of around 30 animals are engaging in the behaviour.
“It’s a cultural fad that’s spread through the population. And so the number of boats they encounter has escalated.
“When you're out there in the Strait of Gibraltar, you might see 20 yachts pass through in a day. And so that's 20 potential targets. And if the orca come across those boats, and they want to interact, and boats get damaged.”
How fear-mongering about orcas has spread
An underwater video taken by Sea Shepherd France shows how the orca are simply playing with the boats. You can watch it below.
The ocean conservation group joined forces with Spanish-based WeWhale and formed Save the Iberian Orca to help protect Iberian population, and stop the rapid spread of incorrect information about them.
Sea Shepherd France’s Essemlali explained she became involved to help be the “voice of the orcas”.
“The talk about this population is not about them being critically endangered, it’s that they're bothering boats. And I think that tells us something about our relationship to wildlife and our relationship to the ocean,” she said.
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While the negative reports about orca began in Spain and Portugal, the tall stories about them have been picked up around the world. When a pair of orca ventured from Spanish waters over to Brittany, in northern France, Essemlali observed “absolutely horrible” fear-mongering about their presence in local media.
“These reports fuel a collective fear that’s completely irrational. And it pushes people to have violent reactions when they see orca,” she said. “Some sailors confuse the size and power of the animals with aggression.”
Across the Strait in Morocco, many of the fishermen operate from small wooden fishing boats and can’t swim. And some have heard incorrect reports that the orcas are hungry and want to eat people alive.
“This is total nonsense. And this has to be debunked. There is a lot of work to do on this matter,” Essemlali said.
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