What started as an isolated case when killer whales (orcas) were observed attacking ships in the area of Spain has become an alarming trend. The attacks on the ships continued even when it did not seem that the ships posed a threat and, according to the owners of the ships, the attack strategy of the animals only improves with time.
In the last few days another case happened near Gibraltar when a killer whale was seen diving under a ship and attacking it. As can be seen in the video, the whale chased the yacht and tore off part of its bottom, which included a critical component of the vessel's steering system.
In an interview with Newsweek, the captain of the yacht, Dan Kries, said that this is not the first time he has experienced an attack by killer whales. According to him, about three years ago he was attacked by eight killers who permanently disabled his vessel.
Recently, Dan was attacked again, and according to him this time they were already more experienced: "Last time we could hear them talking to each other under the ship... This time they were quiet and in a short time they destroyed our steering gear." Dan said that he felt that "they knew exactly what they were doing, they didn't touch anything else".
Although researchers do not yet know what led to the unusual behavior, one of the theories is that it is a learned behavior following a vessel hitting one of the killers. According to the hypothesis, a killer whale that experienced an impact from a vessel, began to see vessels as a source of possible threat, and over time also taught the other members of the group to defend themselves against them.
Along with the fear of another encounter with the killers, Dan makes it clear that he opposes any harm to them. In recent years there has been a significant decline in the whale population, and the remaining ones are protected by law.