||| FROM REUTERS |||
MADRID (Reuters) – An unknown number of orcas have sunk a sailing yacht after ramming it in Moroccan waters in the Strait of Gibraltar, Spain’s maritime rescue service said on Monday, a new attack in what has become a trend in the past four years.
The vessel Alboran Cognac, which measured 15 metres (49 feet) in length and carried two people, encountered the highly social apex predators, also known as killer whales, at 9 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Sunday, the service said.
The passengers reported feeling sudden blows to the hull and rudder before water started seeping into the ship. After alerting the rescue services, a nearby oil tanker took them onboard and transported them to Gibraltar.
The yacht was left adrift and eventually sank.
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This has gone on for some time. There is the hopeful human interpretation that this is a form of play, but from this example, it would seem that the practice is spreading geographically. Some examples come from the coast of Southwest Africa. We may come to learn that orca communications are more broadly shared than we think. Yes, they have different languages, but nothing beats, “Hey! Watch this!” [to quote Gary Larsen’s “Far Side”].
This may or may not work for you: If not, Google “Orca Boat Sinkings”
Wow! The orcas! I watched a couple of videos. And to think we paid to go out to see them and were told to stay a certain distance away. They came under our zodiac and I wasn’t a bit afraid. Might be now!