If youve watched the world news or read certain ocean science journals lately, you might have heard about the pod of killer whales, also known as orcas, living off the coast of Spain who appear to have gone rogue. Starting several years ago, but with increasing frequency, they have been 'attacking' ships and yachts off the coast of Spain and through the Straight of Gibraltar. According to some sources, as of June 2023, there has been at least one attack per day for the past month, and sometimes more than one per day. Rui Alves launched a website last year, https://www.orcas.pt/ that tracks reports of killer whale sightings and boat attacks along the Spanish coast, and found that the data shows that the incidents are happening with ever increasing frequency and what seems to be deliberate intentions.
So the first question is: Why? Do the Whales consider the boats to be threats or possible prey? Are the whales just playing? Or (and this is the option that I wish to be true) have the killer whales with their sentient and cognizant intelligence finally decided to organize and strike back at the human species in retaliation for the many hundreds of years of cruel killing and capture practices that have been inflicted upon them? Various ocean mammal experts and scientists have chimed in on PBS as well as Insider and some other independent journals as to why they think it might be happening. Some say the repeated encounters show aspects of aggressive behavior. Others say they are actually just playing and enjoy the tactile interaction with the boats. Yet another theory is that a particular matriarch of this Orca pod whose name is White Gladis is harboring resentment because of a traumatic event she suffered several years ago and has taught the other members of the pod to be aggressive towards humans and their boats. But with so little true understanding of Killer Whale behaviors or how to actually communicate with them, the jury is still out on the real motivations. Personally, I find it sad and deflating that we as a species, and particularly, as a species who is increasingly culturally removed from communicating with nature and all her creatures, are so mystified and clueless as to what the Orcas true motives are. They have such a complex behavioral and social life, as well as a diverse and rich language, and are so clearly highly intelligent mammals, and yet we as humans understand almost none of it. That alone seems like reason enough for the Orcas to finally get fed up with us, nevermind the atrocities inflicted on them at our hands. I personally believe that these creatures are quite a bit more intelligent than theyve been given credit for, and are quite capable of organizing group hunts that require critical thinking skills, and would love to believe that this pod of orcas is consciously pursuing tactics toward pursuing justice. What do you think? Have you had any personal experiences with Killer Whales that have given you insight into their feelings and behaviors? Are you a whale whisperer? Or have you witnessed any of these aggressive behaviors yourself while boating? Would love to hear your experience~
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