Off the coast of Spain and Portugal, between Galicia and the Strait of Gibraltar, a striking number of sailing boats collided with orcas this summer. Dozens of sailors reported being attacked by groups. Sometimes they were rammed for hours. Scientists were puzzled as this is abnormal behavior for the animals.
At first, many people thought the orcas were aggressive. Why else would they have rammed at least 40 boats this year? A group of scientists decided to investigate and found that most of the incidents were caused by three young orcas: Gladis White, Gladis Gray and Gladis Black.
The three teenagers probably wanted to play with the boats, because they went for the helm of a ship, says scientist Ruth Esteban now against the BBC. “I think because it is a movable part of the ship,” she explains. “In some cases they can turn the whole boat with it. In some videos you can see the sailboat turning almost 180 degrees.”
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